Ambroise Dubois

The taste for ancient art developed in France during the reign of François I, lead to the emergence of an unprecedented artistic movement in the kingdom, particularly in painting, which flourished during the decorative projects at the Château de Fontainebleau; this movement is known as l’École de Fontainebleau.

While Henri IV commissioned large painted decorations at the Louvre, the Tuileries, and Saint-Germain, it was Fontainebleau that held his favor, and he revived the work there in 1594. The name of Ambroise Dubois first appears in the parish registers in 1595, and he began executing his first major decoration, the Queen’s Gallery, in 1600.

Ambroise Dubois is one of the few painters from the turn of the 17th century whose works have been preserved to this day. The painted works of other artists from the l’École de Fontainebleau have, in most cases, been destroyed.

This book aims to renew the understanding of the life and work of Ambroise Dubois and to question the ways in which a Flemish artist integrated into the court of France. A systematic return to the original and oldest archival documents has allowed for the discovery of new documents or improved readings, as well as a reanalysis to propose, among other things, new dates of birth and death.