The High Renaissance
 
&

Mannerism

 

Francois Clouet

(b ?Tours, c. 1516; d Paris, 22 Sept 1572).

Son of Jean Clouet. He was a pupil of his father, whom he succeeded as ‘painctre et varlet de chambre’ to Francis I in 1540. He also inherited the nickname ‘Janet’ and is referred to as such in a number of early sources and in the older literature. After the death of Francis I in 1547 he continued to serve the Valois monarchy principally as a portrait artist; his portrait drawings, like those of his father, were particularly eagerly sought after by Catherine de’ Medici, wife of Henry II and mother of Francis II and Charles IX. His reputation was such that his drawings were praised in verse by Pierre de Ronsard and other contemporary poets. Nevertheless, his career in royal service seems to have been subject to competition by the 1560s: Catherine also employed Etienne Dumonstier and Pierre Dumonstier to paint portraits, and Charles IX employed principally Marc Duval. Clouet may well have done more work at this period for the nobility, such as the L’Aubespine-Villeroy family and Claude Gouffier, from whom in 1568 he received an annual pension higher than that paid by the King. He returned to royal service at the end of his life, when he was given charge of the decorations (destr.) for the wedding of Margaret Valois to Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV) in 1572. He was assisted by his pupils Jean Decourt (c. 1530–after 1585) and Pierre Gourdelle (c. 1530–after 1588). His death followed less than a month after the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacres, and though he professed Catholicism in his will, it has been conjectured that he may have been a Protestant whose death was brought on by the shock of such violent persecution.

 

Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France
c. 1571
Oil on canvas, 36 x 26 cm
Musee du Louvre, Paris

 

Mary, Queen of Scots
1561