French painter of Flemish origin, nephew of Philippe de Champaigne. His uncle sent for him, following the death of his own son, to be his pupil and assistant. The earliest paintings attributed to Jean-Baptiste, such as a double portrait (1645; Rotterdam, Boymans-van Beuningen) that he executed in collaboration with Nicolas de Platte Montagne, show that he had been an apt student. In 1658 his uncle reluctantly allowed him to make an 18-month stay in Italy; while there, he was deeply impressed by the paintings of Raphael and Titian. When he returned he became a member of the Brussels Guild of Saint Luke, and in 1671 he accepted a post as teacher in the prestigious Académie de peinture et de sculpture in Paris. According to Houbraken he was very fortunate to have survived longer than Philippe's own children so that he was brought up like a true son. //