Portrait of Charles II of Bourbon

Jean Hey painted this portrait of Charles II, Duke of Bourbon, around 1482-1485 while serving as court painter to the Bourbon dynasty. Charles II was one of the most powerful feudal lords in France, and this portrait captures his authoritative presence. Hey's refined Netherlandish-influenced technique made him the leading portraitist at the Bourbon court in Moulins. This work belongs to the Early Renaissance, the transformative period in European art when painters first applied mathematical perspective, naturalistic figure modeling, and archaeological interest in antiquity to the inherited traditions of medieval devotional painting.

Oil on panel with sensitive rendering of the duke's features and costume. Hey's characteristic precision in modeling facial structure and textures is evident in this commanding portrait.