School of Fontainebleau

The Fontainebleau School, which was fundamentally responsible for the spread of Mannerism in France, was founded and shaped by Italian artists of various origins. On the occasion of the new decorative design of his castle in Fontainebleau, Francis I, who had already appointed Leonardo da Vinci as his court painter in 1516, brought Italian artists to France. The influences of the artists from different regions of Italy, many of whom are not known by name, merged into a uniform style within the School of Fontainebleau.