Nicolas Dipre (sometimes also Nicolas d'Amiens, Nicolas d'Ypres, ''fl.'' –1532) was a French early

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

painter. Among the Avignon artists of the late 15th and early 16th century, the name Nicola Dipre is among the most famous.

Life and works

Nicolas Dipre was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. His family tree is not fully explored but it's presumed he came from a family of artists. The first written record of his existence dates from 1495 when he lived in

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

, where he lived and worked most of his life, often working for the city government. In May 1508, he married Honorée Bigle, the daughter of

joiner Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, ...

Jean Bigle, with whom he executed orders for the church and painted numerous pieces, the vast majority of which have been lost. Apart from commissions to design numerous

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

s, Dipre was also hired to design other forms of decorations, like processional banners and

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

. An altarpiece created for the Carpentras Cathedral, for which Dipre was paid 115 florins, has survived in fragments and with it as a basis, other works have been identified as having the same originator. Two of his most famous works are ''Jacob's Ladder'', which symbolizes the epitome of the covenant of Abraham, the restoration of peace and communion between heaven and earth, and ''Gideon's Fleece'', which illustrates the Old Testament story of

Gideon Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites is recounted in of the Book of Judges in both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible. Gideon was th ...

, who called on the people of Israel to be their judge. He doubted his own abilities, but the Lord fulfilled his request.

Selected works

*Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple (c. 1500) *The Nativity of the Virgin *Scenes from the Life of Mary *Meeting of Anne and Joachim at the Golden Gate (1499) *The Adoration of the Shepherds

References

External links

Works in the Louvre Museum, Paris

Works in the Kress Foundation, New York

''Crucifixion'' in the Detroit Institute of Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dipre, Nicolas French Renaissance painters Artists from Avignon Painters from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Year of birth uncertain 16th-century French painters