Thompson, Kate: A handbook to the public picture galleries of Europe: with a brief sketch of the history of the various schools of painting, from the 13th century to the 18th inclusive (London: Macmillan and Co., 1880)

OF PAINTING IN FRANCE,

175

fluenced to a great extent the style of succeeding French
painters, who, if they did not visit Rome, studied these
Italian productions at Fontainebleau.
At the same period the school of the Clouets arose in
portraiture, which was developed independently of the
former school and maintained a distinct style of its own.
There were three painters of this name—Jean or Jehan
Clouet, the father; his son, also called Jean; and his
grandson, Francois Clouet. The father came originally
from Flanders, and brought with him to France much of
the manner and the feeling of the Van Eycks. Jean, his
son (1485-1545), painted small and delicately finished
portraits, of which may be mentioned those of Francis I.,
one in the Louvre, No. 109, painted in 1528, the other in
the Uffizi, No 667, painted in 1524. By Francois (about
1510-74), the most important of the three, a few exquisite
portraits are still in existence. In the Louvre he is repre-
sented by two portraits of Charles IX. and of Elizabeth of
Austria, Nos. 107,8. Some other small works are attri-
buted to him there, and to his followers. There is a fine
portrait by the master, No. 1487, in the Hermitage,
St. Petersburg ; one of Francis II. of the year 1547 is No.
33 at Antwerp; and two at Berlin, Nos. 472, 5, are
catalogued 'as of his school. Good small portraits are Nos.
561, 631 at Hampton Court, and No. 2420 at Dresden.
Still smaller, and like a gem for brightness and beauty, is
No. 429, the portrait of a lady, in the Stadel, Frankfort.
Jean Cousin (about 1501-89), born at Soucy near Sens,
was a man of cultivated taste, and is generally considered
as the founder of the national French school of painting.
It is known that he worked as a sculptor and architect,
and also wrote a book on the proportions of the human
body. His largest undoubted work is the painting of the
' Last Judgment,' No. 137 in the Louvre.
The two brothers Antoine (about 1593—1648) and
Louis Le Nain (about 1588-1648), inasmuch as they, like
Cousin, preserved the French characteristics and were not
affected either by the Fontainebleau or Flemish schools,
must be named first. They often painted together under
the surname of Le Nain, choosing subjects from peasant

School of
Fontaine-
bleau.
The
Clouets.

Jean.

Francois.

J. Cousin.

Le Nain.