Clouet, Jean

(c. 1485-1540)

   Painter active in the French court of Francis I. Clouet's biographical details are sketchy. He may have been born in Flanders and arrived in France at an early age. He is documented in 1516 as one of the artists serving the French king. By 1528, he was the court's chief painter. Only a handful of panel works by Clouet survive, mainly portraits and miniatures, though documents reveal that he also rendered some altarpieces in Tours, which have not been traced. Among the works attributable to him are Madame de Canaples (1525; Edinburgh, National Gallery of Scotland), the Man Holding Petrarch's Works (c. 1530; Windsor, Royal Collection), and the portrait Francis I (c. 1525; Paris, Louvre), this last sometimes also attributed to his son, François Clouet. These works demonstrate that his style owes a debt to the Flemish school, particularly in the emphasis on the facial features and hands, the details of the costumes, and the half-length poses. A group of approximately 130 drawing portraits in charcoal or chalk in the Musée Conde, Chantilly, has also been attributed to Clouet. These record the likenesses of members of the French court and exhibit greater simplicity and realism than his panel portraits.