Jean Fouquet

Jean Fouquet (or Jehan Fouquet, 1420 - 1481) was a French painter.

Works

Though his supreme excellence as an illuminator and miniaturist, of exquisite precision in the rendering of the finest detail, and his power of clear characterization in work on this minute scale, have long since procured him an eminent position in the art of his country, his importance as a painter was only realized when his portraits and altarpieces were for the first time brought together from various parts of Europe, at the exhibition of the French Primitives held at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.

Related Topics:
Illuminator - Miniaturist - Altarpiece - French Primitives - Bibliothèque Nationale - Paris

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One of Fouquets most important paintings is the diptych, formerly at Notre Dame de Melun, of which one wing, depicting Agnès Sorel as the Virgin, is now at the Antwerp Museum and the other in the Berlin Gallery. The Louvre has his oil portraits of Charles VII, of Count Wilczek, and of Jouvenal des Ursins, besides a portrait drawing in crayon; whilst an authentic portrait from his brush is in the Liechtenstein collection.

Related Topics:
Diptych - Notre Dame de Melun - Agnès Sorel - Antwerp Museum - Berlin Gallery - Louvre - Charles VII - Count Wilczek - Jouvenal des Ursins - Crayon

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Far more numerous are his illuminated books and miniatures that have come down to us. The Brentano-Laroche collection at Frankfurt contains forty miniatures from a Book of Hours, painted in 1461 for Etienne Chevalier who is portrayed by Fouquet on the Berlin wing of the Melun altarpiece. From Fouquet's hand again are eleven out of the fourteen miniatures illustrating a translation of Josephus at the Bibliothque Nationale. The second volume of this MS., unfortunately with only one of the original thirteen miniatures, was discovered and bought in 1903 by Mr Henry Yates Thompson at a London sale, and restored by him to France.

Related Topics:
Miniature - Frankfurt - Book of Hours - 1461 - Etienne Chevalier - Melun altarpiece - Josephus - Henry Yates Thompson

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