Nicolas Le Prince was a leading Renaissance stained-glass painter active in Beauvais during the mid-16th century. He belonged to the influential Le Prince family of glass painters, whose workshop played a decisive role in the renewal of stained glass in northern France during the first half of the century.

Although documentary evidence for Nicolas Le Prince remains limited, his activity is securely placed in the 1550s, when he was engaged on important ecclesiastical commissions in Beauvais. His work is associated with a transition from late Gothic traditions to a fully Renaissance visual language, marked by clarity of composition, balanced figures, and an increasing interest in spatial depth and naturalistic landscape.

Style and attribution

Panels attributed to Nicolas Le Prince are characterised by:

• luminous, relatively transparent glass

• refined figure modelling with calm, classical proportions

• carefully constructed landscapes, often framing the narrative action

• clear and legible storytelling within a limited pictorial space

Attributions to Nicolas Le Prince are generally based on stylistic analysis and comparison with securely documented works by the Le Prince workshop, rather than on signed panels.

Legacy

Through both his own work and his association with the Le Prince workshop, Nicolas Le Prince contributed significantly to the development of Renaissance stained glass in Beauvais, influencing a generation of later glass painters active in the region during the later 16th century.