Jean Fouquet

Jean (or Jehan) Fouquet (French: [fuke]; c. 1420–1481) was a French painter and miniaturist. A master of panel painting and manuscript illumination, and the apparent inventor of the portrait miniature, he is considered one of the most important painters from the period between the late Gothic and early Renaissance. He was the first French artist to travel to Italy and experience first-hand the early Italian Renaissance.

Little is known of Fouquet's early life and education. Though long assumed to have been an apprentice of the so-called Bedford Master of Paris it is now suggested that he may have studied under the Jouvenal Master in Nantes, whose works were formerly assumed to be early works by Fouquet. Sometime between 1445 and 1447 he travelled to Italy, where he came under the influence of Roman Quattrocento artists such as Fra Angelico and Filarete. During the 1450s he began working at the French court, where he counted kings Charles VII and his successor Louis XI among his many patrons.

Notable works: Hours of Étienne Chevalier, Melun Diptych, Charles VII, King of France, Pietà, Grandes Chroniques de France (Jean Fouquet), Portrait of Guillaume Jouvenel des Ursins, Portrait of the court jester Gonella, Histoire Ancienne (Jean Fouquet)

Source: Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Fouquet