The Jouvenel des Ursins family in prayer
Description
The members of the opulent Jouvenel des Ursins family are lined up on this long painting showing their tabards with their coats of arms. It includes a provost of the merchants of Paris, a president of the Parliament of Poitiers, two bishops and archbishops, and a royal chancellor.
Among the ladies are a widow, two nuns, and two married women, recognised thanks to their horned hairstyles. Set against a backdrop of textured gold brocade, this collective portrait was displayed in the family chapel established in the choir of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. It represents one of the few surviving works of Parisian painting in the middle of the 15th century, at a time still troubled by the Hundred Years’ War.
Between 1445 and 1449.
Donated to the Musée des Monuments Français in 1795; acquired by the Louvre in 1829; deposited by the Louvre in 1985.
| Inventory number | RF 9618 |
|---|---|
| Width | 350 cm |
| Height | 165 cm |
| Original location | Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris |
| Medium | Painting |
| Method of acquisition | Deposit from the Louvre in 1985 |