 P.-D. Martin was born in Paris, and according to d'Argenville, he was the cousin of Jean-Baptiste Martin, while Pierre-Jean Mariette says he was Martin's nephew and pupil.He is also said to have been the pupil of Adam François van der Meulen and the Parrocel.He produced a series of paintings at the Château de Choisy, which are now in the Versailles Museum.