Foucquet

Home > People > Literature and the Arts > European Art to 1599: Biographies

Fouquet (or Foucquet, Jean) (c.1420–c.1481). The outstanding French painter of the 15th century, active mainly in his native Tours. Between 1446 and 1448 he was in Rome, where he painted a portrait, now lost, of Pope Eugenius IV. Much has been made of this Italian journey, the influence of which can be seen in the perspective effects and classical architecture of his subsequent paintings, but in certain respects—notably his close, unidealized scrutiny of the human face—his work remained deeply rooted in northern tradition and did not succumb to Italian influence. On his return from Italy, Fouquet worked much for the French court. His first patron was Étienne Chevalier, the royal secretary and lord treasurer, for whom he produced a Book of Hours (1450–60), now dismembered but mainly in the Musée Condé at Chantilly, and who appears in the Melun Diptych (c.1452), now divided between Antwerp (Koninklijk Mus.) and Berlin (Gemäldegalerie). The figure of the Virgin in the panel in Antwerp is rumoured to be a portrait of Agnès Sorel, Charles VII's mistress, whom Chevalier had also loved. It was not until 1475 that Fouquet became royal painter (to Louis XI), but in the previous year he was asked to prepare designs for the king's tomb, and he must have been the leading court artist for many years. In both his miniatures and his work on a larger scale in panel paintings, Fouquet's art has the same clarity and dignity, his figures being modelled in broad planes defined by lines of magnificent purity. His sculptural sense of form went with a cool and detached temperament, and in his finest works the combination creates a deeply impressive gravity.

Fouquet, Jean (or Jean Foucquet) (b Tours, c.1420; d Tours, c.1481). The outstanding French painter of the 15th century, active mainly in his native Tours. Between 1446 and 1448 he was in Rome, where he painted a portrait, now lost, of Pope Eugenius IV. Much has been made of this Italian journey, the influence of which can be detected in the perspective effects and classical architecture of his subsequent paintings, but in certain respects—notably his close, unidealized scrutiny of the human face—his work remained deeply rooted in northern tradition and did not succumb to Italian influence. On his return from Italy, Fouquet worked much for the French court. His first patron was Étienne Chevalier, the royal secretary and lord treasurer, for whom he produced a Book of Hours (1450–60), now dismembered but mainly in the Musée Condé at Chantilly, and who appears in the Melun Diptych (c.1452), now divided between Antwerp (Koninklijk Mus.) and Berlin (Gemäldegalerie). The figure of the Virgin in the panel in Antwerp is said to be a portrait of Agnes Sorel, Charles VII's mistress, whom Chevalier had also loved.

It was not until 1475 that Fouquet became royal painter (to Louis XI), but in the previous year he was asked to prepare designs for the king's tomb, and he must have been the leading court artist for many years. In both his manuscript illuminations and his panel paintings, his art had the same clarity and dignity, his figures being modelled in broad planes defined by lines of magnificent purity. His sculptural sense of form went with a cool and detached temperament, and in his finest works the combination creates a deeply impressive gravity.

Foucquet For persons thus named use Fouquet.