New exhibition at the Musée de Cluny this spring focus on the artists and forms og art in France during the reign of Charles VII

Two major exhibtions in the last twenty years have shed light on the art produced and consumed in France at both ends of the 15th century. Not until now, though, the history of art during the tumulturous reign of Charles VII of France has been at the centre. New exhibition aims to shed light on the this intermediate artistic period, where the mobile and less monumental art forms came to dominate in the war torn French countryside.

The exhibition aims to offer a non-exhaustive synthesis of the arts during the reign of Charles VII and in the territories under royal allegiance, primarily the regions south of the Loire.

Charles VII (1422 – 1461)

 

Charles was the youngest son of Charles VI and Isabeu of Bavaria, and did not become dauphin until 1417 after the unexpected deaths of his brothers. In 1418, he barely escaped a Burgundian coup in Paris to become head of the so-called Armagnac faction while fighting for his kingdom from a very insecure and provincial periphery. Charles VII did not reenter Paris until 1436 and was disdainfully called “the King of Bourges”. Although he did gain the upper hand at the intervention of Joan of Arc, which ultimately led to his coronation at Reims in 1429, the reconquest of France did not end until the ultimate defeat of the English at the battle at Castillon 1453.

In general, the artistic output during his reign has been considered a pale reflection of what took place in the artistic milieus in the Burgundian Netherlands and the Italian Renaissance. Nevertheless, it pays to focus on some particularly gifted and remarquable artists, to a large extent living and working inside France during this period – a France all too often reduced to a period marked by war, famines, and poverty.

Not a nationalist approach – and yet…

The curators are keen to stress that theirs is not a nationalist approach. Rather, the aim is to show how artists active in the Kingdom of France such as Barthélemy d’Eyck, Jean Fouquet, André d’Ypres, and many other anonymous artists, received and filtered the two major artistic advances of their time, the Flemish innovation of realistic yet mystic oil paintings, pared with the Italian focus on Antiquity and scenic perspectivation. Both were innovative approaches which came to inspire the royal and noble search for luxury and art. Thus, while the years between 1420 -1440 marked a slowdown in artistic production, the last two decades of the reign witnessed an intense renewal.

Thus, the exhibition does not portray a France in decline; on the contrary. Of course, the historical context, the more or less frequent passage of troops, and the involvement to varying degrees of different parts of the kingdom in the conflict between France and England inevitably influenced the number of commissions and the circulation of the available artists. And yes, the years 1420 – 1440 did witness an artistic slowdown. Yet, Paris remained a dynamic centre, especially for the business of illuminated manuscripts, a focal point being the luxury productions created by the for instance the Bedford Master, most likley identified as Haincelin de Haguenau. drawing from this inspiration, some regions such as Provence and Touraine – became innovative craft-centres due to the impetus of artists like Barthélemy d’Eyck, Enguerrand Quarton, or Jean Fouquet.

The Portraits of the King

In a sense, the exhibition is a contradiction in terms. Charles VII has often been portrayed as a king, not particularly interested in arts and letters. However, his iconography has been little studied, except for that disseminated in the works of Jean Fouquet, notably the portrait in the Louvre Museum. Without doubt, painted after the succesfull campaigns at Formigny (1450) and Castillon (1453), the portrait glimmers with the absence of royal insignia. This is a divinely appointed and anointed ruler.

A further study of the painted, sculpted, or illuminated portraits of the king reveals a similar approach, one in which the king and his nobles understood how the arts could bolster the legitimacy of royal power. An analysis of the king’s portraits commissioned by his princely entourage, contributes to this story. Undoubtly, the most famous example is that of Charles VII as a Magus, kneeling before the Virgin and Child in the Hours of Étienne Chevalier, painted around 1452-1460.

It became common in the 15th-century illuminated manuscripts to insert the commissioner’s portrait. However, the insertion of that of the reigning sovereign was less common. Also, unusually, the portrait of Charles VII was placed at the beginning of the extracts from the Gospel of Matthew. This artistic license undoubtedly stems from the desire to highlight the king, anticipating the same motif used by Benozzo Gozzoli in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi. Charles VII’s portrait should be noted to feature the Scottish guard livery accompanying him, highlighting the reinvention of the notion of the “national” army.

In the king’s closer circle, the Martin Bodmer copy of the Romuleon by Benvenuto da Imola also includes a miniature where Charles VII is portrayed in the form of a direct quotation of the Louvre portrait. This manuscript was illuminated for Charles VII’s son, Charles de France, by the Master of Charles de France, active in Bourges and close to Jean Fouquet.

Artistic Centres in the Periphery

Due to the lack of royal interest in Paris, the city does not feature much in this story. Rather, the courts of the great princes of Brittany, Anjou, and Bourbonnais played decisive roles, as did the rising bourgeoisie at Touraine and Champagne, often displaying a gaudy and poignant interest in portraying their “arrival”. Also, the clergy became involved while fulfilling the promises of the so-called Galliacan liberties securing the independence of the Church of France from Papal supremacy. Between these centres, artists circulated, disseminating ideas and styles. It appears, the lack of sponsors forced artists move in wider circles to find new clients, and several of them settled in Rouen during the 1420s, or in Amiens, like the Master of Morgan 453.

Thus, this diaspora nourished the artistic vitality in the periphery, importing and developing the Parisian style that had developed in the early 1400s. In this, the production and dispersion of illuminated manuscripts played a significant role. Preferred artistic forms were mobile and miniaturistic, often presenting king going about his business – sitting as judge or entering a “bonne ville”.

Of particular interest here is the work of Barthélémy d’Eyck, whose later patron was René d’Anjou, and whose work is represented in the exhibition with several pieces, not least the “Heures de René d’Anjou” from 1459-1463 (BnF, département des Manuscrits, Latin 17332). The three photos show the new and very inventive form used in this piece of art. (Heures de René d’Anjou by Barthélémy d’Eyck, 1459-1460, Latin 17332, Paris, BnF, département des Manuscrits © Bibliothèque nationale de France)

Architecture, Stained Glass, and Sculpture

Nevertheless, despite the difficult period the kingdom was going through, significant stained glass programs were also undertaken, mainly in places where the king, or the princes and their entourage resided. Through their qualities, five projects stand out. One of these is the Cathedral of Le Mans, embellished with a large rose window flanked by four windows featuring portraits of Charles VII and Queen Marie of Anjou with members of the dynastic allies such as the three Dukes of Anjou and their spouses, including Yolande of Aragon, the influential donor. In the same transept arm on the eastern side the Anjou-Brittany branch is represented by Bertrand du Guesclin, Olivier de Clisson, and Jeanne de Laval-Chatillon together with other donors, Louis II of Bourbon and Canon Fumée. On the west wall, three prelates were depicted: Cardinal Guillaume Fillastre, papal legate, Bishop Adam Chastelain, and Canon Pierre des Forges. Finally, in another transept we encounter Richard Beauchamp and his son-in-law, Edmond Beaufort, two Frenchmen in the service of the English. This prestigious ensemble was completed around 1435.

Another significant piece of art featured in the exhibition, is the coming together of a work of André d’ Ypres, the Triptyque de Dreux Budé. Ususally, the three parts are preserved in three different locations – Los Angeles, Montpellier and Louvre. At the exhibition, visitors may enjoy the full triptych in all its glory.

The Synthesis of Jean Fouquet

The oevre of Jean Fouquet played a pivotal role when Paris began to wake up from the horrors of the wars. Fouquet’s work may be regarded as an original synthesis of different trends and traditions. More precisely, he was inspired by the Limbourg brothers, Haincelin de Haguenau (the Master of Bedford), and the Master of Boucicaut, and their followers. But he alsor drew inspiration from the Jouvenel Group. Nevertheless, his borrowings were never literal; Fouquet drew from different sources, sometimes concurrently, to create his art, and his vision of reality. From this synthesis, a deeply original artistic oevre emerged, paving the way for the Renaissance in France.

There are numerous connections between his works and the Flemish painters, for instance in his reproduction of light effects, as in the the Antwerp panel of the Melun Diptych, where a mullioned windowis reflected in one of the onyx balls on the Virgin and Child’s dais . Motifs borrowed from Northern painters, such as characters seen from the back or front, leaning against a crenelation (Grandes Chroniques de France, f. 283ro and 326ro), visible in the background of the Virgin of Chancellor Rolin (Paris, Louvre Museum), are recognizable. The composition of the Crucifixion in the Hours of Étienne Chevalier is reminiscent of Jan van Eyck’s.

Probably, Fourquet had occasion to see and study imported Flemish works and he must have interacted with Flemish painters active in France at that time such as Conrad and Henri de Vulcop, Jacob de Litemont (very likely the Master of Jacques Coeur), Barthélemy d’Eyck, André d’Ypres and (Master of Dreux Bude).

Splendid Opportunity

The exhibition is full of surprises, and we should congratulate the curators for the many exquisite loans, which were secured. Unfortunately, a few are missing, especially the silver statuette of St. George made by a Parisian Goldsmith and currently in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona and – of course – Fouquet’s Madonna in Antwerp. Most art historians agree that this is a portrait of the famed mistress of Charles VII, Agnes Sorel. Nevertheless, the exhibition offers a number of opportunities to gain valuable insight into a historical and yet ephemeral moment in the history of French art.

 

FEATURED PHOTO:

Detail from the “Adoration des mages” from the” Heures de Etienne Chevalier”. Heures d’Étienne Chevalier was painted by Jean Fouquet between 1452-1460. BnF, département des Manuscrits, NAL 1416 Paris. Source: wikipedia.

VISIT:

Les arts en France sous Charles VII (1422-1461)
12.03.2024 – 16.06.2024

Catalogue: