a French Renaissance miniaturist and painter, particularly known for his detailed portraits of the French ruling family. Clouet was born in Tours. The earliest reference to him is a document dated December 1541 (see Jean Clouet), in which the king renounces for the benefit of François his father's estate, which had escheated to the crown as the estate of a foreigner. In this document, the younger Clouet is said to have followed his father very closely in his art. Like his father, he held the office of groom of the chamber and painter in ordinary to the king, and so far as salary is concerned, he started where his father left off.
