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TheSchool of Fontainbleau (French:École de Fontainebleau) (c. 1530 – c. 1610) refers to two periods of artistic production in France during the lateFrench Renaissance centered on the royalPalace of Fontainebleau that were crucial in formingNorthern Mannerism, and represent the first major production of ItalianMannerist art in France.[1]
The "First School of Fontainebleau", much more important than the Second School at the end of the century, was based in the chateau from 1531 to 1547, after which some artists moved to Paris or elsewhere.
In 1531, the Florentine artistRosso Fiorentino, having lost most of his possessions at theSack of Rome in 1527, was invited byFrançois I to come to France, where he began an extensive decorative program for theChâteau de Fontainebleau. In 1532 he was joined by another Italian artist,Francesco Primaticcio (fromBologna). Rosso killed himself in France in 1540. On the advice of Primaticcio,Niccolò dell'Abbate (fromModena) was invited to France in 1552 by François's sonHenri II. Although known for their work at Fontainebleau, these artists were also invited to create works of art for other noble families of the period and were much esteemed and well-paid.
The works of this "first school of Fontainebleau" are characterized by the extensive use ofstucco (moldings and picture frames) andfrescos, and an elaborate (and often mysterious) system ofallegories andmythological iconography. Renaissance decorative motifs such asgrotesques,strapwork andputti are common, as well as a certain degree of eroticism. The figures are elegant and show the influence of the techniques of the ItalianMannerism ofMichelangelo,Raphael and especiallyParmigianino. Primaticcio was also directed to make copies of antiqueRoman statues for the king, thus spreading the influence of classical statuary.
Many of the works of Rosso, Primaticcio anddell'Abate have not survived; parts of the Chateau were remodelled at various dates. The paintings of the group were reproduced inprints, mostlyetchings, which were apparently produced initially at Fontainebleau itself, and later in Paris. These disseminated the style through France and beyond, and also record several paintings that have not survived.
The Mannerist style of theFontainebleau school influenced French artists (with whom the Italians worked) such as the painterJean Cousin the Elder, thesculptorsJean Goujon andGermain Pilon, and, to a lesser degree, the painter and portraitistFrançois Clouet the son ofJean Clouet.
Although there is no certain proof, most scholars have agreed that there was a printmaking workshop at the Palace of Fontainebleau itself, reproducing the designs of the artists for their works in the palace, as well as other compositions they produced. The most productive printmakers wereLéon Davent,Antonio Fantuzzi, andJean Mignon, followed by the "mysterious" artist known from his monogram as "Master I♀V" (♀ being thealchemical symbol forcopper, from which the printing plates were made),[2] and the workshop seems to have been active between about 1542 and 1548 at the latest; François I died in March 1547, after which funding for the palace ended, and the school dispersed. These were the first etchings made in France, and not far behind the first Italian uses of the technique, which originated in Germany.[3] The earliest impressions of all the Fontainebleau prints are in brown ink, and their intention seems to have been essentially reproductive.[4]
The intention of the workshop was to disseminate the new style developing at the palace more widely, both to France and to the Italians' peers back in Italy. Whether the initiative to do this came from the king or another patron, or from the artists alone, is unclear. David Landau believes that Primaticcio was the driving force;[5] he had stepped up to become the director of the work at Fontainebleau after the suicide ofRosso Fiorentino in 1540.[6]
The enterprise seems to have been "just slightly premature" in terms of catching a market. The etched prints were often marked by signs of the workshop's inexperience and sometimes incompetence with the technique of etching, and according to Sue Welsh Reed: "Few impressions survive from these plates, and it is questionable whether many were pulled. The plates were often poorly executed and not well printed; they were often scratched or not well polished and did not wipe clean. Some may have been made of metals soft as copper, such aspewter."[7] A broadening market for prints preferred the "highly finished textures" ofNicolas Beatrizet, and later "proficient but ultimately uninspired" engravers such asRené Boyvin andPierre Milan.[8]
From 1584 to 1594, during theWars of Religion the château of Fontainebleau was abandoned. Upon his accession to the throne,Henri IV undertook a renovation of the Fontainebleau buildings using a group of artists: the Flemish bornAmbroise Dubois (from Antwerp) and the ParisiansToussaint Dubreuil andMartin Fréminet. They are sometimes referred to as the "second school of Fontainebleau". Their late mannerist works, many of which have been lost, continue in the use of elongated and undulating forms and crowded compositions. Many of their subjects include mythological scenes and scenes from works of fiction by the ItalianTorquato Tasso and the ancient Greek novelistHeliodorus of Emesa.
Their style continued to have an influence on artists through the first decades of the 17th century, but other artistic currents (Peter Paul Rubens,Caravaggio, theDutch and Flemishnaturalist schools) soon eclipsed them.
