WebMarie de Medici b. She is framed by a triumphal arch and surrounded by people at the court. More than once, the artistic license of the painter was curbed in order to portray Marie in the right light. Oh, but theres more. [118], The original commission for the Marie de' Medici cycle included a corresponding gallery illustrating the life of Henry IV that was never completed, although Rubens began work soon after he completed the Marie de' Medici cycle. WebMarie de' Medici wasted the wealth amassed by Henry IV; she never purged herself of the charge of having known of the king's assassination; her intimate was d'pernon, who did not ward off Ravaillac's blow, and who was proved to have known the murderer personally for a long time. As in other scenes in the Medici Cycle, Rubens includes a mythological element: the ancient god of marriage, Hymenaios wearing a crown of roses, carries the bride's train in one hand and the nuptial torch in the other. After her disembarkation, Marie continued her trip, arriving at Lyon on 3 December. The visit prompted Caspar Barlaeus to write his Medicea hospes ("The Medicean Guest", 1638). Marie might have been grieving, but she wasnt motherless for long. He excluded the traditional 16th Century hieratic poise for a relaxed interpretation, where she wears regularized drapery and Rubens adorns her in that of the state of always being sick and weak. After her sister's marriage in 1584 with Vincenzo Gonzaga, heir of the Duchy of Mantua, and her departure to her husband's homeland, Maria's only playmate was her first cousin Virginio Orsini, to whom she deferred all her affection. As for the series of paintings of the kings life, that project never happened. Throughout her life, Marie de Medici developed a kind of unofficial ex-wives club with Margaret of Valois, the first wife of her late husband King Henry IV. Post-Impressionist, Paul Czanne (18391906) registered for permission to copy the goddess as many as ten times. 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. France and Spain present the young princesses, aided by a youth who is probably Hymen. [78] Fame in the right side of the painting pushes air through the trumpet so powerfully that a burst of smoke comes out. The Queen accepts an orb, a symbol of government, from the personification of France while the people kneel before her and this scene is a great example of the exaggeration of facts in the cycle. It appears that Rubens did not make any sketches for the Henry IV cycle while he was engaged with the first gallery. Uh, thats not what happened. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. The scene is painted with a variety of mythological figures. A parchment Prayer Book belonging to Marie de' Medici has artwork that may date from the 15th century, but is also remarkable for its canivet cuttings. Cranbury, New Jersey: A.S. Barnes and Company, 1968, Saward, Susan. We want our readers to trust us. Little Marie was baptized in blood. [98] She is shown with the snakes of the caduceus emblem having uneasy movement and the forced escorting of the queen by Mercury into the Temple of Peace give the feeling of a strong will not to be defeated. This image is of, once again, Marie claiming her of regal authority yet was nonetheless the first step towards peace between mother and son. When Marie finally did land in France and meet her king, it seemed for a (very brief) period that things might turn out well after all. A Medici collar provided a large, decorative frame around the sides and back of a womans head. [64] The other two having similar design measurements, it was consigned as the middle painting in a pseudo triptych of sorts as it adorned the halls of Marie de' Medici's Palais du Luxembourg. Also present in each are objets importants: rudder, globe, and rosaries. Louis' mother, Marie, acted as his regent as commanded by the Frankish Salic law in case of an infant ruler. The assassination of her husband in 1610, which occurred the day after her coronation, caused her to act as regent for her son, Louis XIII, until 1614, when he officially attained his legal majority, but as the head of the Conseil du Roi, she retained the power.[1]. Direct link to Harriet Buchanan's post When a European king need, Posted 8 years ago. The return of Astraea to earth is symbolic of the embodiment of continuing Justice with the birth of the future king. WebTwelve years after these momentous affairs, Marie commissioned one of Europes most renowned artists, Peter Paul Rubens, to paint a series of 24 paintings about her life (today we refer to these as the Medici Cycle).These were designed to decorate the Luxembourg Palaceher enormous new residence in Paris. My mom never told me how her best friend died. From practically the moment she was born in 1575, Marie de Medici didnt mess around. Marie didnt want to escape the Chateau de Blois to live in peace and quiether ambition was far too great for that. Marie earned a long list of foes in her dangerous game of thrones, but her biggest rival was the one closest to her heart: Her own son Louis. WebMarie believed that after bearing a son, she "would begin to be a queen". WebDespite the challenges of her life as she struggled to regain the power and influence she once had, Marie de Medici lived to hear herself proclaimed mother of three sovereigns, certainly an impressive legacy for the orphaned daughter of the Grandduke of Tuscany. Well then, off to a great start. In late February 1619, Marie had enough of sitting pretty in some faraway palace. [2] John Coolidge suggests the cycle may have even been commissioned to rival another famous series of Rubens, The Constantine Tapestries, which he designed in his studio at the same time as the first several paintings of the Medici Cycle. Thanks for your help! Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. The French were still not pleased with his choosing an Italian wife. A sign of male strength in the history of imagery was their stance and exposed strong legs. She groomed a young and soon-to-be notorious Cardinal Richelieu as a statesman, teaching the so-called Red Eminence everything he knew. In June 1642, a bout of pleurisy hit her, and her whole life unraveledliterally. What is also known as a parade boat, Rubens referencing Horace's boat, is adorned with a dragon on front and dolphins on the stern. [27] Her chaplain Mathieu de Morgues, who remained faithful to Marie in his exile, wrote pamphlets against Richelieu that circulated in France clandestinely. In the end, he had to settle for 10% less than the agreed (and considerable) sum of 60,000 pounds. The boy, named Louis, and automatically upon birth heir to the throne and Dauphin of France, was born to the great satisfaction of the King and France, which had been waiting for the birth of a Dauphin for more than forty years. [7] They may have been poisoned, but some historians believe they were killed by malarial fever. [68] It should be kept in mind that Rubens's energetic manner of placing all these allegorical themes is substantially resultant from classical coins as documented through communication with his friend and notable collector of antiquities, Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc. [10] Moreover, Maria de' Medici was the granddaughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (in office: 1556-1564), thereby ensuring and reinforcing a legitimate royal descent for prospective future members of the House of Bourbon (the Catholic League and Habsburg Spain had questioned Bourbon legitimacy during the previous French Succession War of 1589 - c. 1593). France declined to receive her. Completed in 1625, this is the final painting in the cycle in terms of chronological order of completion. Over the years, she did not notice the rising power of her protg; when she realized it, she broke with the Cardinal and sought to oust him. [11] Rather, implications of political scandal in her life made any literal depiction of the events far too controversial for Rubens to execute without incurring the disapproval from others in government. No, she wanted the whole darn throne again, and she made no bones about it. [114] It is at this point that the Medici Cycle changes to the subject of the Queen Mother's reign. She hatched an ingenious and dangerous plan. Marie de' Medici became the second wife to King Henry IV of France in a marriage by proxy on 5 October 1600 by the power invested in her uncle, Grand Duke Ferdinand of Tuscany. Before joining the team, she worked as a course lecturer while completing her Ph.D. in English Literature. All Rights Reserved. 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. [42] It would be one of two paintings most visually apparent upon entrance into the gallery through the southeast corner. [78] The Queen thrusts her arm high with an assembler's baton in hand. The commissioned artist being active in an opposing political parties was cause for Richelieu to object. WebThe river god in the picture's right corner is likely an allusion to the Arno River that passes through Florence, Marie's city of birth. [113] Rubens artfully projected both mother and son into the future, depicting them as more aged and mature than in the preceding panel (Peace is Confirmed in Heaven). View of the Marie de Medici cycle by Peter Paul Rubens in the Louvre (photo: stevenzucker, CC BY-SA 2.0). Now a refugee with the Spanish, enemies of France, Marie was thus deprived of her pensions. Marie de Medici might have had a horrific childhood that scarred her for life, but it also gave her riches beyond most peoples greatest imaginings. After all, Henry ruled over a vast and influential kingdom, and Marie thought that she could be just the queen he needed to reign beside him. These accents also create a sense of unity with the neighboring work, Apotheosis of Henry IV and the Proclamation of the Regency. In addition to her shabby palace, Marie also had to deal with Henrys cunning head mistress, Henriette dEntragues, who immediately despised her. [23], Jules Michelet also contributed to the denigration of Marie de Mdicis.[24]. Though this particular painting is one of the most straightforward in the series, there is still some minor dispute about its significance. However, because Henry never actually entered Paris in this fashion, the scene is supposed to represent only a symbolic triumph. The round shape of the temple, like those built by the ancients to represent the world, and has an Ionic order that is associated with Juno and Maria herself. She is shown wearing a gown of silver cloth with gold embroidery and wears nothing that suggests her esteemed background. Rubens received the commission in the autumn of 1621. These characteristics are known to be that of Piety or Religion, both of which Maria would want her son to embody. There was great approval of the match, as the pope and many powerful Florentine nobles had been advocates of the marriage and had worked at convincing the king of the benefits of such a union. In 1532, the family gained the hereditary title of Duke of Florence. Catherine reminds Mary that her crown is powerful. WebWritten and illuminated in the first quarter of 16th century the Flemish book of hours of Marie de Medici represents a beautiful example of the artistic perfection of Flemish art. [46] The couple were married by proxy on 5 October 1600. But soon, a more prestigious suitor presented himself: King Henry IV of France. The cornucopia above the infant's head can be interpreted as a harbinger of Marie's future glory and fortune; the lion may be seen as symbolic of power and strength. [54] As a Flemish painter Rubens includes a dog in the painting, alluding to fidelity in marriage. 1573, Florence, Italy; d. 1642, Cologne, Germany Born into the powerful and influential Medici family, renowned bankers and patrons of the arts, Marie de Medici was the daughter of Francesco I de Medici, grand duke of Tuscany, and Joanna of Austria, a Hapsburg archduchess. Although Louis was supposed to be Maries Golden Child, it didnt take long for courtiers to notice that something was seriously amiss with the boy. Rubens designed the scene around the theme of political peace. Although originally started but may or may not have been finished in Rome, Caravaggio's Madonna of the Rosary may well have been an artistic influence on Rubens for the Proclamation of the Regency side of this painting, as the two works are highly corresponding in their presentation. Physically, he had a massive stutter and, somewhat alarmingly, a congenital double row of teeth. [26] All of the paintings have the same height although they vary in width in order to fit the shape of the room they were intended for. "The Golden Age of Marie de' Medici". The portrait of the Queen's mother, Johanna of Austria, is on the left at the place where visitors enter. The Master of the So from birth, Marie would have led a life more ornamental than mortal. Panegyric writings were usually written during an important political event, the birth of a prince for example, and were used to exalt the qualities and ancestry of a ruler. Then again, Henriette had another reason to hate the new queen. And let me tell you, that was not a good idea. She then returned to Paris, where she worked on the construction of her Luxembourg Palace. WebQuotes [ edit] We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends. While Marie gazes adoringly at her son, Fecundity presses the cornucopia to her arm, representing the complete and bountiful family to come. The Renaissance painter Jacopo Ligozzi actually taught her drawing, turning the girl into a talented illustrator. [66] The right side of the panel shows the succession of the new Queen, dressed in solemn clothing suited to a widow. At the center in front of the mast stands France, with a flame in her right hand illustrating steadfastness and the globe of the realm, or the orb of government, in her left. The remaining three are portraits of herself and her parents. [16] She immediately banished her late husband's mistress, Catherine de Balzac d'Entragues, from the court. Princeton. Originally the paintings were hung clockwise in chronological order, decorating the walls of a waiting room expanding from a royal apartment in Marie de' Medici's Luxembourg Palace. Of her five elder sisters, only the eldest, Eleonora (born 28 February 1567) and the third, Anna (born 31 December 1569) survived infancy. Not only did he further establish and publicize his skill, but also the similarities that exist in his later works, such as stylistic components and themes, undeniably reflect the Medici series. The object may be seen as foretelling of Marie's peaceful reign. The English statesman Ralph Winwood also described her as of a comely stature, and with a natural grace. Direct link to Nathan Krueger's post I cant seem to find a hig, Posted 6 years ago. From the time of her marriage to Henri IV, the Queen practiced ambitious artistic patronage, and placed under her protection several painters, sculptors and scholars. Marie de' Medici was banished from Paris in 1631 as Cardinal Richelieu gained power over Louis XIII. Here France takes on an androgynous role being both woman and man at the same time. In the mid 1600s, she planted roots in Cologne after her friend Peter Paul Rubens loaned her a house there. [93] It is an interesting painting to examine within the context of the tense relationship between the young king and his mother. Canvas from Frans Pourbus . We know now that Cardinal Richelieu went on to achieve enormous influence and power in France, but if Marie de Medici got her wish, hed have done none of those things. Consider, for example, the Disembarkation at Marseilles, where everyone has eyes only for the voluptuous Naiads, to the disadvantage of the queen who is being received with open arms by France" [50], This painting allegorically depicts the first meeting of Marie and Henry, which took place after their nuptials by proxy. A member of the powerful House of Medici in the branch of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, the wealth of her family caused Marie to be chosen by Henry IV to become his second wife after his divorce from his previous wife, Margaret of Valois. She took a strict approach to parenting Louis, which was saying something for the time. Rubens and his times. That was one of Brian De Palma's best movies. She is also placed compositionally in a tight and unified group with the cardinals, signifying a truthful side opposed to Mercury's dishonesty. Powerful ones. Much speculation exists on the exact circumstances under which Marie de' Medici decided to commission Rubens to paint "such a grandiose project, conceived in truly heroic proportions". Why? Here the monster is a stand in for the dead Constable de Luynes who has met its demise at the hand of a feminine Saint Michael. "[119] Marie and Henry's separate wings were designed to meet in an arcade that would unite the two galleries. Rubens was forced to remove these mythical figures and replace them with three generic soldiers. [82], The remaining three paintings are portraits of Marie de' Medici, her father Francesco I and her mother Johanna of Austria. [92] Marie has reigned as regent during her son's youth, and now she has handed the rudder of the ship to Louis, the new king of France. Sense some sinister foreshadowing here? The ship represents the state, now in operation as Louis steers the vessel. They are dressed in the classical style, which is naturally appropriate to the scene. The model, or overall design, for this portrait of Johanna of Austria goes back to a painting by Alessandro Allori that was then copied by Giovanni Bizzelli. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. COME ON. On either side of the fireplace in the gallery are the portraits of the Queen's parents. The day after Marie officially became Queen of France, her husband suffered a horrific fate. [23] The benefits of Marie de' Medici's commission continued throughout the rest of Rubens's career. Her son exiled her when he seized power, Marie having extended her regency beyond his attaining the age of majority. [5] In a few years, Maria also lost two of her siblings, Philip (died 29 March 1582 aged 4) and Anna (died 19 February 1584 aged 14). 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. [18] Rubens's studies of classical, Greek, and Latin texts influenced his career and set him apart from other painters during his time. However, Marie maintained her late husband's policy of religious tolerance. After having obtained the annulment of his union to Margaret of Valois in December 1599,[4] Henry IV officially started negotiations for his new marriage with Maria de' Medici. King smitten with the portrait of his bride-to-be (detail), Peter Paul Rubens, Jupiter and Juno (detail), 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). Rubens, in the same letter, goes on to say, "This subject, which does not touch on the particular political considerations of this reign, nor have reference to any individual, has been very well received, and I believe that had it been entrusted altogether to me the business of the other subjects would have turned out better, without any of the scandal or murmurings."[91]. Side opposed to Mercury 's dishonesty the marie de' medici weight quote of continuing Justice with the birth of So... To live in peace and quiether ambition was far too great for that extended her Regency beyond attaining! Course lecturer while completing her Ph.D. in English Literature place where visitors enter in Cologne after her Peter... 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