Early Life and Artistic Training Mathieu Elias enters the historical record in 1658, born in Nord, France. The circumstances of his birth are defined by scarcity; born at Peena, near Cassel, his parents live in extreme poverty. As a young boy, his life is measured by the labor of tending cattle. He exists in this humble state until a chance encounter shifts his trajectory. While working, he begins tracing objects on the ground, a repe…