Jean Fouquet

He got married in 1448.

He died in 1481 at the age of 61.

Jean Fouquet was born in 1420, in Tours, France. Not much is known about the circumstances surrounding his birth though it is believed that he was the illegitimate son of a priest.

He is believed to have received training in Paris as a manuscript illuminator.

One of his earliest known paintings is the large panel portrait of King Charles VII, painted around 1445. The painting is believed to have been produced before Fouquet’s trip to Rome as there is no evidence of Italian influence. The portrait is abstractly staged and objective.

In 1446, he travelled to Rome as a part of a French mission. There he painted Pope Eugenius IV with his two nephews. This portrait caused quite a sensation as it was painted on canvas rather than on the more common wood support.

While in Rome he gained a first-hand experience of Italian Renaissance and studied the works of painters like Masaccio, Fra Angelico and Piero della Francesca. Italian art had a profound impact on his future painting style. After he returned to France, he opened a workshop in Tours.

His workshop proved to be quite successful and he received commissions from French nobility. King Charles VII was one of his regular patrons who greatly admired his art.

Around 1450 he made a self-portrait which featured a small, painted enamel roundel which was unusual for his time. It is also likely to be the earliest sole self-portrait surviving in Western art.

The most important painting made by Jean Fouquet is the ‘Melun Diptych’, a two-panel oil painting completed around 1452. The left panel depicts Etienne Chevalier with his patron saint St. Stephen and the right panel depicts the Virgin and Christ child surrounded by angels.