Jean
Fouquet was the most famous French painter of his day. But historical records
give us very scarce information about his life and work. Documentary sources
of the 15th and 16th centuries show that he was a painter of international
repute.
Fouguet probably received instruction in the illumination of manuscripts
under
Flemish-Burgundian masters, possibly the Limbourg brothers. In any case,
the decoration of precious manuscripts took a prominent place throughout
his life. (Antiquités Judaïques in Bibliothèque
Nationale, Paris; Histoire Ancienne and Book of Hours of Etienne
Chevalier, both in the Louvre).
In the 1440s, Fouquet was in Rome, recognized as the royal portraitist
of France, and commissioned to paint Pope Eugenius IV and his nephews.
This painting, now lost and known only from engraving, evidently inspired
a genre of papal portraiture, to which many prominent Italian artists,
including Raphael and Titian,
contributed in the century that followed.
Fouquet succeeded in combining the diverse influences of Italian and French
art of the Early Renaissance to achieve a courtly classicism, marked by
a certain detachment and severe construction, which is unique in the art
of the 15th century.
Note
Diptych de Moulin was commissioned for
the tomb of Etienne Chevalier, treasurer to king Charles VII of France.
The right panel shows Etienne Chevalier presented by his patron saint.
The left panel, Madonna and Child, is a remarkable work of
its time: it seems to cross the border into the sphere of the profane,
and the outwardly sacred character of the subject only adds to the effect.
The model for Madonna is traditionally said to be Agnes Sorel, the Charles
VII’s mistress. The exposure and modeling of her breast presents
an erotic value in its own right. The unreal contrast of red and blue in
the angels gives the painting surrealistic character. There is no logical
composition of spatial depth. However, Fouquet is very careful and sensitive
in the execution of the crown and throne. The attention to luxurious details
is evidence that he was familiar with early 15th century Netherlandish
art.