Henri-Pierre Picou, like his friends Gérôme, Boulanger, and Hamon, studied in the ateliers of Delaroche and Gleyre. Like them, he also debuted at the 1847 Salon and later received a second Grand Prix de Rome (in 1853) for his painting, The Moneylenders Chased from the Temple (École Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris). Although he shared in their enthusiasm for mythological and classical subjects, he received commissions for religious painting, such as the frescoes in the church of Bon Secours in Nantes (1858) and canvases for the Chapel of the Holy Apostles in the church of Saint-Roch in Paris. His style had classicizing elements but often demonstrated a neo-rococo tendency in the dancelike poses and light, pastel palette.
