Étienne Chevalier (c.1410 in

Melun Melun () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the kilome ...

– 1474) was a major civil servant of the French kings Charles VII and

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...

. He is also notable for commissioning two major works by

Jean Fouquet Jean (or Jehan) Fouquet (ca.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 Melun Diptych (which he gave to the

Collégiale Notre-Dame de Melun The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame (''Collégiale Notre-Dame de Melun'') is a former collegiate church, now a parish church in the French town of Melun, on rue de la Courtille on the île Saint-Etienne. History The building dates back to the 1 ...

) and the Hours of Étienne Chevalier (in which he is shown twice praying before the Virgin, to whom he is presented by his patron saint

Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

Life

The son of a secretary to Charles VII, he was twice sent to England with

Guillaume Cousinot de Montreuil Guillaume Cousinot de Montreuil (1400–1484) was a French diplomat, magistrate and civil servant. He served as France's diplomatic representative in England between 1444 and 1449, during a period of truce between the two countries. Apart from his ...

before becoming secretary to the king, then conseiller and ''maître des comptes'', ''contrôleur de la recette générale des finances'' and finally treasurer of France (1452). Chevalier, Jacques Cœur and the doctor Robert Poitevin were made executors of the king's favourite

Agnès Sorel Agnès Sorel (; 1422 – 9 February 1450), known by the sobriquet ''Dame de beauté'' (Lady of Beauty), was a favourite and chief mistress of King Charles VII of France, by whom she bore four daughters. She is considered the first officially r ...

, probably the model for the Virgin Mary in the second panel of the Melun Diptych.

Sources

* Pierre Clément, ''Jacques Cœur et Charles VII, ou La France au XVe siècle'', Guillaumin, Paris, 1853, pp. 76–7

* Press dossier for the exhibition ''L'enluminure en France au temps de Jean Fouquet'', 26 March - 22 June 2003, musée Condé,

château de Chantilly The Château de Chantilly () is a historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Paris. The site comprises two attached buildings: the Petit Château built around 1560 for Anne de Mont ...

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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chevalier People from Melun 1410 births 1474 deaths People of the Hundred Years' War