The theme of peace, which runs throughout the cycle, was indeed furthered not only in France but in Europe by the marriage alliances brokered by Marie for her children: Louis XIII married a daughter of the Spanish king, her daughter Elisabeth married the heir to the Spanish throne (the future King Philip IV), and her daughter Henrietta married Charles I of England. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. Except when Richelieu got too powerful, Marie made a huge, panicked mistake. The Henry cycle called for twenty-four monumental scenes of Henry's life depicting "the encounters he was engaged in, his combats, conquests, and sieges of towns with the Triumphs of said victories. The Princess of Conti and the Duchess of Montpensier (mother of her future daughter in law) carry the train of the royal mantle. The truth is, not one of us is innocent. We Medici always have. The ancient gods of marriage and loveHymen and Amor (Cupid), to the left and right, respectivelyhover in midair as they present this portrait to Henry IV, the king of France. Eventually, Louis realized that if he wanted to get any calm in his kingdom, hed have to mollify her somehow. [18] Rubens's studies of classical, Greek, and Latin texts influenced his career and set him apart from other painters during his time. When Marie made the rounds to her various relatives around Europe, she took the time to grouse to each of them and their spouses about her son King Louis XIII and how much he had wronged her. She is conducted to the altar by the Cardinals Gondi and de Sourdis, who stand with her along with Mesieurs de Souvrt and de Bethune. Peter Paul Rubens had already established himself as an exceptional painter and also had the advantage of sustaining close ties with several important people of the time, including Marie de' Medici's sister, the wife of one of Rubens's first important patrons, the Duke of Gonzaga. Louis Beroud - Salle Ruben musee du Louvre 1904.jpg 1,500 1,002; 272 KB. Shots. In short, Marie was in for an extremely rude awakening. Heck yes she did. My dear, never give up a crown to anybody. Rule number one in queen school is to respect your crown. Judging by another statement of his on 27 January 1628, he did not engage much in sketching before that date. [129], The Birth of the Princess, in Florence on 26 April 1573, The Presentation of Her Portrait to Henry IV, The Wedding by Proxy of Maria de Medici to King Henry IV, The Meeting of Marie de Mdicis and Henri IV at Lyon, The Birth of the Dauphin at Fountainbleau, The Death of Henry IV and the Proclamation of the Regency, The Felicity of the Regency of Marie de' Medici, The Reconciliation: of the Queen and her son, Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, The Reconciliation of King Henry III and Henry of Navarre. Maria was interested in science; she enjoyed learning about mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, as well as the arts. Henry's army casts the rebels out of Paris by throwing them over a bridge into the river below. As far as things went, Marie should have felt incredibly lucky to have escaped Concinis fate, but that didnt mean she was happy in her gilded cage. [43] Rubens had a way of depicting France that was very versatile in gender in many of his paintings in the cycle. Around 1622, she commissioned the famed artist Peter Paul Rubens to do a 21-piece series of her favorite subjectherself. [79] Other figures include Fame and the personification of Austria with her lion. All the surrounding figures are identifiable, including the artist himself. In fact, she started an uprising twice. [105] In this painting, Louis XIII, represented as an adult, is depicted as Apollo. Her mandate as regent legally expired in 1614, when her son reached the age of majority, but she refused to resign and continued as regent until she was removed by a coup in 1617. Were always looking for your input! In those times an heir was of the utmost importance, especially if Henry wanted to showcase his masculinity and discontinue with the pattern of the royal reproductive failure. Despite her nightmarish relationship with King Henry IV, Marie still managed to have no fewer than six children with the man, and coached them into some seriously high positions when they came of age. [24] There is an additional claim that Marie had envisioned these paintings to be studied alternately, left to right, so the thoughtful viewer would have had to crisscross down the gallery. [1] Rubens, then court painter to the Duchy of Mantua under Vincenzo I Gonzaga,[7] had first met Marie at her proxy wedding in Florence in 1600. [6] When Henry was assassinated in 1610, Louis XIII, his son and successor to the throne, was only eight years old. A young woman in a bejeweled dress with a stiff lace collar gazes confidently out of a simply-framed, bust-length portrait placed at the very center of a large canvas. The hydra's death is not at the hand of Apollo as might be expected. [55] Rubens incorporates the traditional allegory of the cornucopia, which symbolizes abundance, to enhance the meaning of the painting by including the heads of Marie de' Medici's children who have yet to be born among the fruit. Maria and her only surviving sister, Eleonora (with whom she had a close relationship) spent their childhood at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, placed under the care of a governess along with their paternal first-cousin Virginio Orsini (son of Isabella de' Medici, Duchess of Bracciano).[6]. Unfortunately, it was far too late. [48] The scene takes place below a marble statue, which depicts God the Father mourning over the dead body of Christ, alluding to the Pieta sculpture by Baccio Bandinelli (14931560). They remained close until Margarets passing in 1615. [49] On a side note, Avermaete discusses an interesting idea that is particularly present in this canvas. [99] It can also be debated that the painting is not really about peace or security, but really an unrelenting spirit that does not give into loss. This gesture would usually be shared among male companions, telling each other's secret. Completed in 1625, this is the final painting in the cycle in terms of chronological order of completion. It resembled a grotto and was decorated with a marble statue of Venus and the coat of arms of the Medici family. These paintings of her parents in Marie de' Medici's reception hall look bleak in comparison to the portrait of Marie, where she is looking beautiful if not vain. Above the two stands Hymen who unites them. Enthroned on a pedestal with sculptures of Minerva's symbols of wisdom and two putti holding a laurel wreath to represent victory and martyrdom, the representation of Marie de' Medici is quite clear. Direct link to CielAllen08's post Is there a book about Kin, Posted 7 years ago. [129], The Clemency of Henry in Paris corresponds to the Olympian peace scene in the Marie cycle, with Henry's peace as earthly and Marie's as celestial. Rubens did not include many of the negative aspects of the event, fearing that he would offend the Queen, which resulted in the paintings non-realistic nature. Cupids arrow has hit its mark; the king is smitten. Before joining the team, she worked as a course lecturer while completing her Ph.D. in English Literature. They are dressed in the classical style, which is naturally appropriate to the scene. She was a descendant of the great and wealthy House of Medici.. Seriously girls, this guy? Gortner, A rainbow extends from the left corner, a symbol of concord and peace. After Marie's banishment in 1631, the project was to be completely abandoned,[123] which seems a travesty seeing as Rubens was very optimistic about the project and its effects on his career; "I have now begun the designs of the other gallery which, in my judgment, because of the nature of the subject will prove to be more splendid than the first so that I hope I shall rather gain [in reputation] than decline. France and Spain present the young princesses, aided by a youth who is probably Hymen. The larger figures in the background represent the military, who were added to have a symbolic meaning of the Queen's belief in the command over military. [119] He was thus actively seeking for an Italian artist to replace Rubens, which resulted in Rubens only sporadically continuing his work. [108] The Queen and Louis XIII are depicted floating in heaven, connected by the symbol of concordia, which demonstrates her sons forgiveness and the peace that was reached between them. However, a few weeks later, Henrietta d'Entragues also produced a son, and Henry not only made just as much fuss over this son but declared that he was better-looking, not fat and dark like Louis and the Medici. [22] From there, she fled on 19 July 1631 towards the city of trungt (in the County of Hainaut), where she slept before going to Brussels. Marie commissioned paintings that truthfully followed the events of her life, and it was the job of Rubens to tactfully convey these images. The crowd below in the basilica raise their hands in acclamation of the new Queen, and above, the classical personifications of Abundantia and a winged Victoria shower the blessings of peace and prosperity upon the head of Marie by pouring the golden coins of Jupiter. She is led and protected by a representation of France, and guided by illustrations of Night and Aurora. Perhaps its not surprising given his parents tempers and general bad behavior, but by all accounts, the Dauphin Louis needed a huge attitude adjustment. She is paired with Marie by the color of their hair, and similarly Louis is paired with Religion, or the Order of the Holy Spirit. He gazes up in gratitude, his left hand extended as he expresses his delight in his bride-to-be. [26], This painting is a representation of a historical event in the life of the Queen where the King and the Queen were crowned at the basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris. Her eldest daughter Elisabeth became the Queen of Spain, while her youngest girl Henrietta Maria became the Queen of England. When Rubens was commissioned to paint the Marie de' Medici cycle, he was quite possibly the most famous and skilled artist in Northern Europe, and was especially appreciated for his monumental religious works, commissioned by various councils and churches in the area. WebFrance was a country torn apart by years of religious and civil wars when Marie de Medici married King Henri IV in 1600. The way France is also dressed shows how female she is on top revealing her breasts and the way the fabric is draped adding notions of classicism. Peter Paul Rubens, The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de Medici, c. 1622-1625, oil on canvas, 394 x 295 cm (Muse du Louvre). The Medici Fountain was built in 1630 by Marie de Medici. Henriette hadnt kept her man around this long by being sweet and docile,and she showed her true colors to Marie in a devastating way.In reference to her money as well as her curves,Henriette took to spitefully calling Marie the fat banker to her face, just in case she needed reminding of why Henry had married her. Eventually, she found a hugely bombastic way to marry her two biggest passions. [6] She was also passionate about jewelry and precious stones. Henry is shown as Jupiter (Greek Zeus) identified by the fiery thunderbolts in his hand and the eagle. Yet this only set the stage for further scandal. Related: Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Peter Paul Rubens: Portrait de Marie de Mdicis ; Artist More than once, the artistic license of the painter was curbed in order to portray Marie in the right light. In 1617, Louis XIII finally decided to take governing matters in his own hands at the age of fifteen and the queen was exiled to Blois. [66] The right side of the panel shows the succession of the new Queen, dressed in solemn clothing suited to a widow. Engravings after Rubens from the De Verda Collection, Medicea Hospes, Sive Descripto Pvblicae Gratvlations, Genealogical tables of the House of Medici, Catherine, Duchess of Mantua and Montferrat, Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples and Sicily, Auguste Ferdinande, Princess Luitpold of Bavaria, Maria Theresa, Archduchess Charles Stephen of Austria, Karoline Marie, Princess Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Maria Immaculata, Nobile Inigo Neri Sereneri, Margarita, Marchioness Taliani di Marchio, Agnes, Princess Karl Alfred of Liechtenstein, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marie_de%27_Medici&oldid=1141964857, Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany to France, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Italian-language text, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. He is shown in the center of the scene raising a flaming sword. Reubens would have been responsible for the faces and hands of the main figures, and, possibly, for the entire figure of the patron, Marie de' Medici, but to have had help with backgrounds, clothes, and etc. [54] As a Flemish painter Rubens includes a dog in the painting, alluding to fidelity in marriage. [45] This connection between the two show that not only are the gods in favor of the match, the King also has the well wishes of his people. The mythological figures include Apollo and Pallas, who combat and overcome vices such as Discord, Hate, Fury, and Envy on the ground and Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, Hermes, Pan, Flora, Hebe, Pomono, Venus, Mars, Zeus, Hera, Cupid, and Diana above. The Flight from Blois is a depiction of Queen Marie escaping from confinement at Blois. If Marie de Medici wasnt the most obedient wife, she wasnt the most caring mother, either. As one of her first acts, Marie reconfirmed Henri IV's Edict of Nantes, which ordered religious tolerance for Protestants in France while asserting the supremacy of the Roman Catholic Church. She then returned to Paris, where she worked on the construction of her Luxembourg Palace. Sense some sinister foreshadowing here? [13] However, the Medici commission was welcomed by Rubens as an opportunity to apply his skills within a secular scene. As a comparison, there are within each, two women upon a dais classical pillars, swathes of luxuriant cloth, genuflecting personages with arms extended, and allegorical figures present. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. It also suggests that she perpetuated the policies and ideals of the late King in his life and in death. In the mid 1600s, she planted roots in Cologne after her friend Peter Paul Rubens loaned her a house there. 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