That François Clouet succeeded his father as Court-Painter in 1541 is proved by a document in the "_Trésor des Chartres_" which runs as follows: "_François par la grace de Dieu, roy de France, etc.... Savoir faisons ... que voulant reconnoistre envers nostre cher et bien aimé painctre et varlet de chambre ordinaire, François Clouet les bons et agréables services que feu M^{e} Jehannet Clouet, son père, aussi de son vivant nostre painctre et varlet de chambre, nous a durant son vivant faictz en son dict estat et art, auquel il estoit très expert et en quoy son dict fils la jà très bien imité, et espérons qu'il fera et continuera encores de bien en mieux cy après, a icelluy, François Clouet pour ces causes et affin que de ce faire il ayt meilleure voullonté, moïen et occasion, avons donné, octroïé, cedé et délaissé, tous et chacuns les biens meubles et immeubles qui furent et appartendrent au dict Me Jehannet Clouet, son père, à nous advenuy et escheuz, adjugez et declarez appartenir par droit d'aubène au moïen de ce que le dict deffunt estait estranger et non natif ne originaire des nostre royaume et n'avoit obtenu de nos predecesseurs roys ny de nous aucunes lettres de naturalité et congié de tester_" (published by E. de Freville, _Arch. de l'art Français_, t. iii, p. 98). From the above document we learn the following important facts, namely: (_a_) that Jean Clouet was not of French origin; (_b_) that he was highly esteemed by the King; and (_c_) that after his death François Clouet, his son, inherited all his privileges and favours. [Illustration: Plate LXI. Photo. Giraudon. JEANNE D'ALBRET, WHEN A CHILD. Attributed to Jean Clouet. MADAME MARGUERITE, SISTER OF HENRI II. Attributed to François Clouet. Musée Condé. _To face page 226._] CHAPTER XVII FRANÇOIS CLOUET AND HIS FOLLOWERS Francis I, King of France, survived Jean Clouet but a few years, so that the artistic career of his celebrated son, François, chiefly developed during the reigns of Henri II, Francis II and Charles IX. It is difficult to determine what effect Jean Clouet's death had upon his son, but we are led to suppose that at first he continued closely to adhere to parental teaching. Indeed from 1540 to 1545 it is scarcely possible to discern any of those differences of style so conspicuous a decade later. Two female portraits, still existing, seem to give weight to this argument. These likenesses, although in the style of the elder Clouet, from the age and the attire of the sitters can only have been drawn during the years 1544-5, by which date that artist had already vanished from the scenes and his son was at work alone.