The restoration of Jean Hey’s Triptych of Moulins, one of the greatest masterpieces of French painting at the dawn of the 16th century, has been completed. The intervention, conducted between 2022 and 2025, represents a key moment in the appreciation and understanding of French art around 1500.
Sponsored and supervised by the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC), the restoration was carried out at the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France (C2RMF) by restorers from the Arcanes and Tournillon ateliers, under the guidance of an international scientific committee. This is the first complete restoration of the work since the 1879 restoration, a major event for the national heritage.
The intervention has restored the vivid, luminous colors of the three panels, long concealed by oxidation and old varnish, and has allowed a deeper understanding of the technical and pictorial experiments of Jean Hey-known before his identification as the Master of Moulins. An artist trained in Flanders, he was one of the most refined and innovative protagonists active in France in the last decades of the 15th century.
The completion of the restoration offers the Louvre Museum, DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and C2RMF an opportunity to present the work to the public. After nearly ninety years-the last exhibition was in 1937-the Triptych of Moulins thus returns to Paris, where it can be admired from November 26, 2025 alongside Jean Hey’s other works preserved in the capital: five paintings and a drawing at the Louvre, as well as the Virgin acquired in 2013 from the Museum of Cluny. Surrounding this corpus, numerous paintings, as well as drawings, miniatures, and goldwork from the Louvre’s collections, will allow visitors to better understand this masterpiece of French heritage.
The Triptych of Moulins is the most monumental and original work by the painter Jean Hey, long known as the “Master of Moulins.” Commissioned by the Duke and Duchess of Bourbon around 1498 for the collegiate church (now a cathedral) in the town of Moulins, the Triptych has remained there ever since. The sashes depict Duke Peter II and Duchess Anne in adoration of the Virgin and Child at the center of the scene. A fervent manifestation of their piety, the Triptych is also a political testament: while in 1498 the death of Charles VIII, the Duchess’s brother, and the accession to the throne of Louis XII might have weakened their power, the Bourbons intended to proclaim their dynastic authority over the duchy; the presence of their only daughter, Susanna, crowned, at her mother’s side affirms this continuity. The ducal couple entrusted the execution of this ambitious work to Jean Hey. Trained in Ghent in the workshop of Hugo van der Goes, he arrived in France around 1480, working for illustrious patrons such as Cardinal Jean Rolin and Cardinal Charles de Bourbon, brother of Duke Peter. From 1488 he settled at the court of Moulins, where he remained until his death shortly after 1500. Recognized by his contemporaries as one of the great artists of his time, Jean Hey painted for dukes, members of the court, and even the royal family. In his Triptych, he combines talent for portraiture, a perfect mastery of rendering light and materials, and a bold sense of color. Preserved in the cathedral sacristy since the late 19th century, studies conducted by the DRAC (Regional Directorate of Cultural Heritage) have revealed the need for a comprehensive restoration project.
Collaboration among scholars, restorers and art historians made it possible to plan, guide and successfully complete the complex restoration of the Moulins Triptych, while providing a valuable opportunity to deepen our understanding of its creative process and the transformations it has undergone over the centuries. Extensive archival work made it possible to reconstruct the history of the work, particularly since its rediscovery in the 19th century, while scientific analyses and diagnostic investigations were conducted in parallel throughout the intervention at the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France (C2RMF). The restoration campaign, which began in 2023 under the direction of DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes-commissioner of the project-and under the supervision of C2RMF’s Painting Department, was carried out by restorers from the Arcanes (for painting) and Tournillon (for wooden supports) ateliers, with the support of an international scientific committee.
For almost two years, the work focused on structural consolidation of the work and recovery of its chromatic and luministic legibility. The main objective was to restore the original brilliance of the composition and the refined visual effects desired by Jean Hey, thus reviving the expressive and spiritual power of the masterpiece. Special attention was paid to the halo placed in the center of the triptych, a pivotal element both visually and symbolically. Investigations revealed a complex two-stage execution, with the application of gold leaf in the central part and a gold mixed with silver in the peripheral crown, evidence of the artist’s extraordinary technical expertise.
The side wings, on the other hand, were asymmetrically cut at the top and bottom, probably even before the French Revolution. This modification had interrupted the continuity of the architectural lines and the visual dialogue between the figures of the donors and the Virgin. The restoration chose a respectful approach: only the documented portions of the painting were reinstated, namely a 5-centimeter-high band out of the missing 15 centimeters for each panel, restoring the overall symmetry of the composition. The addition of movable wooden elements at the ends made it possible to illusionistically continue the pictorial continuity.
Among the most significant interventions was the recovery of the original central frame, the only one that survived. Physico-chemical analyses revealed the presence, under the rear redorsing, of the original 15th-century decoration, which was carefully brought to light, restoring harmony and chromatic coherence between the central panel and its gilded, polychrome frame.
Classified as a Historic Monument in 1898, the Moulins Triptych has been on display in the sacristy of Moulins Cathedral since 1879. Its restoration, financed by the French government, is part of a larger program to enhance the cathedral, promoted by the Regional Department for the Conservation of Historic Monuments (CRMH) of the DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
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| Fully restored the Triptych of Moulins. It will be displayed in the Louvre |
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