Etienne Chevalier with St. Stephen

This panel was originally the left-hand half of a diptych in the cathedral of Notre Dame de Melun, placed over the tomb of the founder's wife. The corresponding right-hand wing with a depiction of the Madonna is now in Antwerp . The founder, Étienne Chevalier (d. 1474), is kneeling in the foreground, accompanied by his patron saint, St. Stephen. The sharp-edged stone on the book in his hand refers to the stoning by which the martyr met his death. Étienne Chevalier was ambassador and chancellor under Charles VII and Louis XI of France and was entrusted with numerous diplomatic missions. In 1463, he was sent to Lille to redeem the cities on the Somme from fiefdom to Burgundy.