Born into a family of painters and engravers from Montbrisson in the Loire region, Etienne Parrocel spent much of his working life in Rome. In France, he studied under his uncle Pierre (1670-1739) who in 1717 took Etienne to Rome where he joined the Academia di San Luca in 1734.

Etienne's religious works were in demand during the 18th century, especially after Pierre Guérin de Tencin commissioned an untraced painting of his.