François Dubois (French pronunciation:[fʁɑ̃swadybwa];c. 1529 – 24 August 1584) was a FrenchHuguenot painter of theFontainebleau School.[1]
Dubois was born around 1529 inAmiens, in the province ofPicardy. He was likely related to the anatomistJacques Dubois.[1]
Dubois fled France following theSt. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572, when Catholic mobs killed about 3,000 Protestants (Huguenots) in Paris. It is not known whether he witnessed the event but a possible relative, the surgeon Antoine Dubois, died in the slaughter.[2] He settled inGeneva in the ProtestantRepublic of Geneva, where he died on 24 August 1584.[1]
His only surviving work is the best-known depiction of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.[1] A fellow Huguenot refugee, a banker fromLyon, commissioned the painting to commemorate the event.[citation needed] The painting shows two incidents from the massacre frequently seen in other depictions inpopular prints and book illustrations: the body of Huguenot leaderGaspard de Coligny hangs out of a window at the rear to the right, and is also depicted decapitated on the ground under the window, with the Duke of Guise standing behind it. To the left rear,Catherine de' Medici, emerges from theLouvre Palace and inspects a heap of bodies.[3]
Dubois is also known to have painted a picture of theRoman Triumvirate.[4]
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