Jean Clouet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean "Janet" Clouet
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| Born | 1480 |
| Died | 1541 |
| Known for | miniaturist; oil painter |
| Movement | French Renaissance |
| Patron(s) | Francis I of France |
Jean Clouet (born around 1480, died 1541) was a famous painter who worked in France. He was known for painting tiny, detailed pictures called miniatures and also larger oil paintings. He lived during a time called the High Renaissance. Jean Clouet was also the father of another well-known painter, François Clouet.
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Who Was Jean Clouet?
Jean Clouet started working for the French king, Francis I, around 1516. We know from old records that he was not originally from France. People think he might have come from a place called the Low Countries, which is now parts of Belgium and the Netherlands. His real name might have been Cloet.
He lived in a French city called Tours for several years. There, he met his wife, whose father was a jeweler.
Life in France
Clouet was still living in Tours in 1522. The king gave him an important job called "Groom of the Chamber." This meant he was a personal attendant to the king, and he received a good salary.
By 1529, Jean Clouet and his wife were living in Paris. They were buried in a cemetery there. He was still alive in July 1540, but he had passed away by December 1541.
Jean Clouet had a brother known as Clouet de Navarre. He worked for Marguerite d'Angoulême, who was King Francis I's sister. Jean Clouet also had two children: his son François Clouet, who became a famous painter like his father, and a daughter named Catherine.
What Did Jean Clouet Paint?
Jean Clouet was a very skilled portrait painter. A portrait is a painting of a person. Even though we don't have many paintings that we are absolutely sure he painted, he is believed to have created many amazing drawings.
Famous Portraits and Drawings
Many of his portrait drawings are kept in places like the Château de Chantilly and the Bibliothèque Nationale in France. These drawings show important people from the time of King Francis I.
Some famous paintings believed to be by Jean Clouet include:
- A portrait of an unknown man at Hampton Court.
- A portrait of the dauphin Francis (King Francis I's son) in Antwerp.
- A portrait of King Francis I himself, which is now in the Louvre museum.
He is also thought to have painted seven tiny portraits in a special book called the Manuscript of the Gallic War. Another similar miniature portrait is owned by J. Pierpont Morgan. These small paintings look very much like his drawings.
Many drawings believed to be by Jean Clouet and his art school show portraits of important people from that era. King Francis I even wrote funny or sharp comments on some of these drawings! While we don't have definite proof for every single work, Jean Clouet's style is clear in many of these beautiful pieces.
Images for kids
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François I of France - Jean and François Clouet (around 1535, oil on panel) (Louvre).
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Jean Clouet, Portrait of Marguerite d'Angoulême, around 1530.
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See also
In Spanish: Jean Clouet para niños
