François Quesnel (c. 1543–1619) was a French painter of Scottish extraction.

Biography

The son of the French painter Pierre Quesnel and his Scottish wife Madeleine Digby, born in Edinburgh while his father worked for

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1538 until 1542, as the second wife of King James V. She was a French people, French noblewoman of the ...

, Quesnel found patronage at the French court of Catherine de Medici and her son, Henri III (''illustration''). He married Charlotte Richandeau, with whom he had four children. A widower, he remarried in 1584 Marguerite Le Masson, who gave him ten more children, among whom were Nicolas (died 1632) and Augustin, painters, and Jacques, bookseller. In le Paris he worked as a decorator and a designer of

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

s for

tapestry Tapestry is a form of Textile arts, textile art which was traditionally Weaving, woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical piece ...

, but it is as a portrait painter, both in oils and in delicately tinted pencil or red and black chalk, that he is chiefly remembered. Some portraits were engraved by Thomas de Leu and Michel Lasne, and in 1609 he drew a map of Paris for engraving by Pierre Vallet. He died in le

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 ...

Tapestry designs

In 1585 François provided a cartoon for a tapestry of ''Christ preaching on the steps of the Temple'' for the Church of Saint Madeleine in Paris. In August 1586, François contracted to provide designs for tapestries of the ''Life of the Virgin'' for Renée of Guise Lorraine, Abbess of the Convent of Saint-Pierre-les-Dames at

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

and sister of his father's employer in Scotland, Mary of Guise (who was buried in the Convent). The eight tapestries and his cartoons were to be 1.5 ells in height, and 10.25 ells in length. Each was to include the heraldry of the Abbess in the centre. The cost of this design work was 5 ecu sols per Paris ell. These tapestries following his designs were woven in Paris.

Gallery

File:Quesnel Portrait einer Dame.jpg, ''Portrait, possibly of Catherine-Charlotte de la Trémoille'', ca 1589, attributed to Quesnel File:Henri3France.jpg, ''Portrait of

Henri III of France Henry III (; ; ; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575. As the fourth son of King Henry II of France, he wa ...

'', ca. 1582-86The King wears the '' cordon bleu'' of his Ordre du Saint-Esprit, inaugurated in 1578
Louvre Museum database
. attributed to Quesnel (

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

) File:François Quesnel Mary Anne Waltham.jpg, Portrait of Mary Anne Waltham, Althorp House. File:Plan de Paris en 1609.jpg, Quesnel's 1609 map of Paris, engraved by Pierre Vallet, ''le jeune''

External links and images

Several portrait drawings, some identified sitters, Harvard Art Museums

Engraving of François Quesnel
by Pierre Brebiette, Joconde database, with motto 'Quo pedibus Ferri non queo mente Feror.'
''Portrait of a Noblewoman'' (attributed), Detroit Institute of Arts

''Portrait of a Bearded Man'' (attributed), Cleveland Museum of Art

''Portrait of a Bearded Man'' (attributed), Royal Collection

* ttp://www.portrait-renaissance.fr/Artistes/francois_quesnel.html Biography of Quesnel (in French)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quesnel, Francois 16th-century French painters French male painters 17th-century French painters 16th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters 17th-century Scottish painters 1619 deaths 1540s births Emigrants from the Kingdom of Scotland Immigrants to France Painters from Edinburgh French Mannerist painters French tapestry artists