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14 - CLOUET Jean or Jehannet, First half of the 16th century.
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Estimate €8,000 - €10,000

Description

CLOUET Jean or Jehannet, First half of the 16th century. "PORTRAIT OF LOUIS DE LORRAINE, COUNT OF VAUDÉMONT (1500-1528). Gouache and gold highlights on vellum laid down on paper. Diameter: 2.5 cm Beautiful antique frame dating from the 17th century. We would like to thank Mrs Alexandra Zvereva for confirming the authenticity of this drawing and providing the following information: Jean (or Jehannet) Clouet (Flandres: Valenciennes ?, circa 1485-Paris, 1540/1541) was a remarkable miniaturist at the French Court during the Renaissance, and was the official portrait painter of King François I from the latter's accession in 1515 until 1539. Clouet was one of the first, after Jean Perreal but perhaps before Lucas Horenbout, to create miniature portraits and isolated medallions. Fitted with a mount, usually in goldsmith's or silversmith's work, these effigies, which were both intimate and precious, could be worn and made perfect diplomatic presents. Documented exchanges of portraits between the courts of France and England bear witness to this. Unfortunately, the portraits of the Dauphin Francois, Henri de France (the future Henri II) and François I, sent in autumn 1526 to Henri VIll of England by Marquerite d'Angoulême, Queen of Navarre, have disappeared. Only four miniatures by Jean Clouet are known today and therefore listed. The earliest, a Portrait of a Man painted from the model's costume around 1520, is known only from a photograph (repr. cat. exp. Francois ler et l'art des Pays-Bas, Paris. musée du Louvre, 2017, p.232, fig.83). The other three all date from the early 1530s: Portrait d'une dame (D.41 mm, New Haven, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, inv.B.2001.2.1934), Portrait de Charles de Cossé, maréchal de Brissac (D.35 mm. New York. Metropolitan Museum of Art, inv.35.89.1) and Portrait de Francois, dauphin de France (D.62 mm. Royal Collection, inv. RCIN 420070). All these miniatures share with the seven medallion portraits of the "Captains of Marignan" painted in 1518-1519 by Jean Clouet to illustrate the illuminated manuscript of the second volume of François Demoulîns de Rochefort's "Commentaires de la Guerre Gallique" (Paris, BnF Ms fr.13429, see the links to the photos of these portraits at the end of this notice), the round format encircled in gold, the blue background, the presentation of the model in a small bust and in three-quarter view, the extreme refinement of the clothing details, the thin shadows, the contours delicately outlined in black stone and the very light complexions modelled by fine, blended strokes. Our miniature is an original addition to this small corpus, and a major contribution to the work of Jean Clouet. Smaller than the others, our miniature portrait in medallion has the same irregular lapis lazuli background and, above all, the same transparency and finesse of line, particularly evident in the beard, hair and embroidered collar. The model, a young man with blond hair and blue eyes, is identifiable with the master's drawing, drawn around 1525, from the personal collection of Catherine de Médicis (Chantilly, Musée Condé, inv. MN 70). The face is exactly the same and only the clothing differs, in particular the shirt and toque with sign, which came back into fashion towards the end of the 1520s. This is Louis de Lorraine, Count of Vaudemont, fourth son of René II, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Philippe de Gueldre. He grew up in Lorraine, unlike his two older brothers, Antoine (Duke of Lorraine in 1508) and Claude (founder of the Guise branch), who were pupils at the court of Louis Xll with Francois d'Angoulème, the future Francois ler. Like his brother Jean, Cardinal Bishop of Metz, Louis was destined for the Church. In 1508, Louis was granted the bishopric of Verdun, and then, in 1512, the abbey of Saint-Mihiel. But in 1522, the young man decided to give up his career in the church. His brother Antoine granted him the county of Vaudemont and made him captain of his armies, which fought in Lorraine and alongside the French in Italy. He then entered the service of King François I and was renowned for his bravery. Vaudemont was appointed captain general of the lansquenets and commanded the rearguard. He died of an infectious disease contracted at the siege of Naples.

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About the sale Classic sale - Historical souvenirs

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Auction time 06/19/2026 at 2:00 PM

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14 - CLOUET Jean or Jehannet, First half of the 16th century. See original version (French)

14 - CLOUET Jean or Jehannet, First half of the 16th century.
See original version (French)