Jean Hey facts for kids
Jean Hey (also spelled Jean Hay) was a famous painter from the late 1400s. For a long time, people didn't know his real name. They called him the Master of Moulins because of his most famous painting. He worked in France and a place called the Duchy of Burgundy. He was often connected to the powerful Bourbon family.
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The Moulins Triptych, painted around 1498. It is an oil painting on wood, found in Moulins Cathedral.
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About Jean Hey's Life and Art
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Not much is known about Jean Hey's early life. His painting style suggests he might have learned from a famous artist named Hugo van der Goes. It's also possible that he spent his later years living in Paris, France.
The Moulins Triptych
Jean Hey's most famous artwork is a large three-part painting called a triptych. It is located in Moulins Cathedral and was painted around the end of the 15th century.
The middle part of the painting shows the Madonna and Child (Mary and baby Jesus) surrounded by angels. On the side panels, you can see portraits of Duke Pierre II and Duchess Anne de Beaujeu. Their daughter, Suzanne, is also shown.
The triptych is in excellent condition today. However, sometime before the 1830s, the top and bottom edges of the side panels were slightly cut.
How the Master of Moulins Was Identified
For a long time, the real name of the artist who painted the Moulins Triptych was a mystery. Art experts called him the "Master of Moulins." They knew several other paintings were made by the same artist.
Connecting the Clues
In 1902, during an art exhibition in Bruges, Belgium, an art historian named Georges Hulin de Loo made an important discovery. He noticed that the way the clothes were painted on a "Mary Magdalene" painting looked very similar to the Moulins Triptych. He suggested that the artist might be someone named "Jehan Pérreal de Paris."
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Mary Magdalene from the Somzee collection, shown in the 1902 exhibition.
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Portrait of Francis de Chateaubriand, also displayed at the 1902 exhibition.
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A page from Hulin de Loo's art catalog, where he identified anonymous masters.
Finding Jean Hey's Name
Later, in 1961, a book suggested that the "Master of Moulins" might not have been one person. The author thought many different artists created the works attributed to him.
However, the mystery was solved when an inscription was found on the back of a damaged painting. This painting, called Christ with Crown of Thorns (from 1494), is in a museum in Brussels, Belgium. The inscription said the artist was "Jean Hey, teutonicus and pictor egregius." This means "Jean Hey, the German" and "the famous painter." At that time, "German" could also mean someone from the Flemish region.
The inscription also named the person who ordered the painting: Jean Cueillette. He was a secretary to the King and connected to the Bourbon family. The style of this painting matched the works of the Master of Moulins. It became clear that Jean Hey was the court painter for the Bourbon family. Records from 1502–1503 also show that the court painter's name was Jean.
- More Art by the Master of Moulins (Jean Hey)
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The Annunciation, painted between 1490 and 1495, found at the Art Institute of Chicago.
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Portrait of Charles II of Bourbon.
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Le dauphin Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France, painted in 1494.
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The Virgin and the Child.
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Pierre II, Duke of Bourbon, presented by Saint Peter.
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Anne of France presented by Saint John the Evangelist.
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See also
In Spanish: Maestro de Moulins para niños
