Etienne chevalier agnes sorel biography
Étienne Chevalier (c in Melun – ) was a major civil servant of the French kings Charles VII and Louis XI. He is also notable for commissioning two....
The Melun Diptych ()
More Analysis of Melun Diptych
Two Panels
This diptych, now seen as one of the greatest Renaissance paintings of 15th century France, consists of two parts: a right-hand panel - Etienne Chevalier with St Stephen - now in the Gemaldegalerie, SMPK, Berlin; and a left-hand panel - Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels - now in the Antwerp Museum of Fine Arts.
Etienne Chevalier with St Stephen
This oil painting depicts the donor kneeling alongside his patron saint, Stephen.
The saint, dressed in a deacon's robe, is holding a book, upon which sits a jagged stone, as a symbol of his martyrdom, while blood drips from his death wound on the top of his head.
It has long been suggested that this Madonna was modelled on Agnes Sorel (obit ), mistress to the French King, Charles VII. Nor is this a wild guess.
He has a Gallic physiognomy and a surreal haughtiness. A non-intrusive, Italian-Renaissance-style background, seemingly that of a church wall, shows pilasters alternating with inlaid marble panels. A mural inscription "Estienne Chevalier" is clearly visible.
Both men are facing t