FRANÇOIS CLOUET
(1510 – 22 December 1572)
François Clouet, son of Jean Clouet, born in Tours, France, and died in Paris, France. He was a French Renaissance miniaturist and painter, particularly known for his detailed portraits of the French society of the court of the royal house of Valois.
François worked with Jean, his father, possibly as early as 1536 and replaced him in 1540 as official painter to Francis I. He continued in this office, serving under Henry II, Francis II, and Charles IX. He directed a large workshop in which miniaturists, enamel designers, and decorators carried out his projects.
In addition to making portraits, he painted genre subjects, including nude figures, e.g. "Diane de Poitiers", and theatrical scenes—the latter attested by an engraving, as well as by a picture entitled "Scene of the Commedia dell'Arte." He also supervised the decorations for funeral ceremonies and for the triumphal entries of the French kings.
It has been possible to identify his work on the basis of two signed pictures, "Diane de Poitiers" and the "Portrait of Pierre Quthe" (1562), and of another one bearing a 16th century ascription to him, "Portrait of Charles IX, Full-Length", probably by 1569. The identification of the preparatory drawing for the last picture has enabled experts to attribute 50 portrait drawings and several painted portraits to François.
Clouet drawings are characteristic of the French Renaissance with their almost dry precision, elegant stylization, and clear-cut plasticity.
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