John the Good panel
Type:
Panel paintings
Date:
ca. 1360
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
France
Dimensions:
60 × 44.5 cm
Description:
John II "the Good" (Jean le Bon, 1319–64) was king of France from 1350 to 1364, but he was taken prisoner in a war with England in 1356 and spent most of his remaining years in exile. Attempts to raise ransom money resulted in a peasant uprising, and ultimately he died in London. The inscription in French on this panel says “Jehan roy de France” (John king of France), and John "the Good" is the only candidate (the one other French king named John died at four days old).
For most of the Middle Ages, images of living people reveal limited (or nonexistent) physiognomic likeness. Increasing naturalism and individualization makes the term portrait more applicable in the fourteenth century, but the scarcity of contemporary images of John "the Good" make it difficult to confirm the degree of likeness here. Moreover, it is possible that the inscription postdates the painting: the letterforms seem to belong to the late fourteenth century. In sum, we cannot know whether this was a portrait of John "the Good" in the modern sense of the term, but it is among the earliest ruler images painted on a wooden panel, a medium previously reserved for sacred figures. The gold background aggrandizes the figure, and the profile may evoke ancient rulers’ coins, but there is nothing royal about the subject: no heraldry, regalia, or distinctive garments. Without the inscription, we would not know this was the king of France.
For most of the Middle Ages, images of living people reveal limited (or nonexistent) physiognomic likeness. Increasing naturalism and individualization makes the term portrait more applicable in the fourteenth century, but the scarcity of contemporary images of John "the Good" make it difficult to confirm the degree of likeness here. Moreover, it is possible that the inscription postdates the painting: the letterforms seem to belong to the late fourteenth century. In sum, we cannot know whether this was a portrait of John "the Good" in the modern sense of the term, but it is among the earliest ruler images painted on a wooden panel, a medium previously reserved for sacred figures. The gold background aggrandizes the figure, and the profile may evoke ancient rulers’ coins, but there is nothing royal about the subject: no heraldry, regalia, or distinctive garments. Without the inscription, we would not know this was the king of France.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
10
Repository and Online Resources:
• See the panel on the Musée du Louvre website.
Image Credits:
Musée du Louvre; public domain
