CLOUET Jean or Jehannet, First half of the 16th century. - Lot 14

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 mounted on paper. (Historic restorations) Diameter: 2.5 cm Beautiful antique frame dating from the 17th century, made after the 16th century. We thank Ms. Alexandra Zvereva for confirming the authenticity of this drawing and providing the following information: Jean (or Jehannet) Clouet (Flanders: Valenciennes?, c. 1485–Paris, 1540/1541) was a remarkable miniaturist at the French court during the Renaissance; he served as the official portraitist to King Francis 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 freestanding medallions. Set in a frame, usually made of gold and silver, these intimate and precious effigies could be worn and made for the perfect diplomatic gift. The documented exchanges of portraits between the courts of France and England bear witness to this. Unfortunately, the portraits of the Dauphin François, Henri de France (the future Henri II), and François I—sent in the fall of 1526 to Henry VIII of England by Marguerite d’Angoulême, Queen of Navarre—have disappeared. Only four miniatures by Jean Clouet are known today and have therefore been cataloged. The oldest, a *Portrait of a Man* painted around 1520, as indicated by the model’s costume, is known only from a photograph (reproduced in the exhibition catalog François I and the Art of the Netherlands, Paris: Musée du Louvre, 2017, p. 232, fig. 83). The other three all date from the early 1530s. These are the *Portrait of a Lady* (D.41 mm, New Haven, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, inv. B.2001.2.1934), the *Portrait of Charles de Cossé, Marshal of Brissac* (D.35 mm. New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, inv. 35.89.1), and the Portrait of François, Dauphin of France (D.62 mm, Royal Collection, inv. RCIN 420070). All these miniatures share a common origin with the seven medallion portraits known as the “Captains of Marignan,” painted in 1518–1519 by Jean Clouet to illustrate the illuminated manuscript of the second volume of “Commentaries on the Gallic War” by François Demoulîns de Rochefort (Paris, BnF Ms fr.13429; see the links at the end of this entry for photos of these portraits), the round format encircled in gold, the blue background, the depiction of the subject in a small, three-quarter-length bust, the extreme refinement of the clothing details, the subtle shadows, the contours delicately outlined in black chalk, and the very light skin tones rendered with small, fine, blended strokes. Our miniature completes this small body of work and constitutes an important addition to Jean Clouet’s oeuvre. Smaller than the others, our miniature portrait—set in a medallion—features the same irregular lapis lazuli background and, above all, the same transparency and finesse of line, particularly evident in the beard, the hair, and the embroidered collar. The subject, a young man with blond hair and blue eyes, can be identified thanks to a drawing by the master, created around 1525, from the personal collection of Catherine de’ Medici (Chantilly, Musée Condé, inv. MN 70). The face is exactly the same, and only the clothing differs—specifically the shirt and the cap with a crest, which came back into fashion toward the end of the 1520s. This is Louis de Lorraine, Count of Vaudemont, the fourth son of René II, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and of Philippe of Guelders. 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 XII alongside François d’Angoulême, the future François I. He was destined for the Church, like his brother Jean, Cardinal-Bishop of Metz. Louis was appointed bishop of Verdun in 1508, and then, in 1512, abbot of Saint-Mihiel. But as early as 1522, the young man decided to renounce his ecclesiastical career. His brother Antoine ceded 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 Francis I and became renowned for his bravery. Vaudemont was appointed captain-general of the Landsknechts and commanded the rearguard. He died of an infectious disease contracted during the siege of Naples.