Johan Maelwael

Johan Maelwael (1365/70-1415), internationally known as Jean Malouel, is now perhaps best known as the painter of the Louvre’s masterpiece Grande Pieta Ronde. One of the most important artists of the late Middle Ages in Western Europe and court painter to the Dukes of Burgundy, Maelwael was a great innovator in painting, creating a body of work characterized by elegant, sophisticated figures, a high degree of realism and a bright color palette of deep blues and reds and sumptuous gold.

This publication, the first on Maelwael in English, describes the artist’s life, his versatile work and his place in history. It offers an opportunity to rediscover a somewhat unknown late medieval master, presenting his paintings alongside contemporary metalwork, sculptures, drawings and manuscripts, including richly decorated manuscripts by his legendary cousins, the Limbourg brothers, and lifelike portraits by his contemporary Claes Sluter.