The Little Secrets of Great Paintings

"The Martyrdom of St. Appolonia", 1461 - Jean Fouquet (2x1)

Air date: Dec 06, 2015

Around 1450, the Hundred Years' War was coming to an end, but the Kingdom of France was still divided. The fighting, the plague and the famine had decimated the population by almost half. King Charles VII and his court settled in Tours. The highly respected painter Jean Fouquet had his studio in the city center. His 16 x 12 cm miniature entitled "The Martyrdom of St. Apollonia" comes from there. This religious work is one of the 47 surviving illuminated manuscripts that Fouquet executed for the Book of Hours of Etienne Chevalier, a wealthy patron.