[34], The cycle's second painting, The Birth of the Princess, represents Medici's birth on 26 April 1573. [61][62] Also, her pet dogs are placed in the foreground of the painting. Because it was a marriage by proxy, a common practice of the time where either the bride, groom, or both arent actually present, Marie had still never met King Henry at the moment he became her official husband. 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. 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. The upper half of the painting shows Marie and Henry as the mythological Roman gods Juno and Jupiter. All of these symbols, Rubens displayed in this ambiguous and enigmatic painting to represent or "misrepresent" Marie de' Medici in the manner that portrayed her as the prudent, yet caring and humble mother of a young and nave monarch. [16] She immediately banished her late husband's mistress, Catherine de Balzac d'Entragues, from the court. Like any classic intruding mother, Marie used her time in exile not to reflect on the error of her ways, but instead to collect other family members around her and pretend nothing was wrong. 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. After her disembarkation, Marie continued her trip, arriving at Lyon on 3 December. And she was just getting started. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1967. In fact, when she arrived in Paris in February 1601, Marie was already pregnant. In fact, she started an uprising twice. 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. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. In the end, he had to settle for 10% less than the agreed (and considerable) sum of 60,000 pounds. CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, Rubens's Arrival (or Disembarkation) of Marie de Medici at Marseilles, Medici Cycle, Marie de' Medici cycle by Peter Paul Rubens, Rubens cycle of paintings apotheosizing Marie de Medici, Self-Portrait in a Circle of Friends from Mantua, The Gonzaga Family in Adoration of the Holy Trinity, Portrait of Marchesa Brigida Spinola-Doria, Portrait of a Noblewoman with an Attendant, Portrait of Giovanni Carlo Doria on Horseback, The Head of Saint John the Baptist Presented to Salome, Saint Teresa of vila's Vision of the Holy Spirit, Ixion, King of the Lapiths, Deceived by Juno, Who He Wished to Seduce, The Virgin and Child Surrounded by the Holy Innocents, Erichthonius Discovered by the Daughters of Cecrops, The Meeting Between Abraham and Melchizedek, Saints Dominic and Francis Saving the World from Christ's Anger, The Virgin Mary and Saint Francis Saving the World from Christ's Anger, Diana and Her Nymphs Leaving for the Hunt, Christ Appointing Saint Roch as Patron Saint of Plague Victims, Portrait of Infante Isabella Clara Eugenia, Portrait of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, The Triumphal Entry of Henry IV into Paris, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marie_de%27_Medici_cycle&oldid=1117913311, Paintings in the Louvre by Dutch, Flemish and German artists, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 October 2022, at 06:19. The representations are accompanied by their traditional attributes. He gazes up in gratitude, his left hand extended as he expresses his delight in his bride-to-be. To that end, she started an uprising against her own son, now King Louis XIII, using her old allies. And thats when it all started to fall apart. Saturn has his sickle and is personified as Time here guiding France forward. 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. A Medici collar provided a large, decorative frame around the sides and back of a womans head. Henry's promiscuity made difficult the production of a legitimate heir, and rumors circulated to the extent that Henry's court artists began to employ strategies to convince the country otherwise. [15], Rubens's Medici commission was an inspiration for other artists as well, particularly the French painters Jean-Antoine Watteau (16841721) and Franois Boucher (17031770) who produced copies from the Medici cycle. They also produced two French queens Catherine de Medici (15471589) and Marie de Medici (16001630). 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). Accordingly, Marie would outright reject suitors in the blink of an eyeuntil, that is, she met her match at last. [6] This half ends with a depiction of Marie's coronation. The painting Louis XIII Comes of Age represents the historical scene of the transferring of power from mother to son in abstract, or allegorical means. Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini presides over the ritual. To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser. Sometimes also referred to as The Apotheosis of Henry IV and The Proclamation of the Regency, this particular painting within the Medici Cycle as a whole, was placed originally by Rubens as a series of three. 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. - Cleugh; Interests The site was purchased in 1612 and construction began in 1615, to designs of Salomon de Brosse. The efficacy of the form is lost in order to ensure Marie's representation in a positive light. In the violent clouds are two Fames, one with a Roman buccina and the second with what seems to be a trumpet. The wealth of the Medici family attracted many suitors, in particular the younger brother of her aunt Grand Duchess Christina, Franois, Count of Vaudmont and heir of the Duchy of Lorraine. One of these strategies was to personify Marie as Juno or Minerva. Force, extending her oar and heaving to, is identified by the shield just beneath her showing a lion and column. [105] In this painting, Louis XIII, represented as an adult, is depicted as Apollo. By presenting him as Jupiter Rubens implies the promiscuity of the man and the deity. Somehow, though, she would wait 13 long years to find a manand her relationship woes might not be for the reason youd think. - Popular aphorism. Although she had five older sisters, only two of them survived infancy along with her younger brother, Philip. It was an Oedipal nightmareso is it any wonder Louis bit back? Maria's uncle Ferdinando I de' Medici became the new Grand Duke of Tuscany and married Christina of Lorraine (granddaughter of the famous Catherine de' Medici, Queen of France) in 1589. They are getting richer, they said, at our expense. All Rights Reserved. (Cupid has his arrow; Prudence carries a snake entwined around her arm to indicate serpent-like wisdom; Abundance also appears with her cornucopia, also a reference to the fruits of Marie's regency. The violence of these images would contrast nicely with the relative peace and regal quality of the scenes in the Marie de' Medici cycle. Marie de Mdicis, Britannica. In the work, Truth gestures toward the Queen while Time looks toward her from below. [4] The contract stated that Rubens was to paint all the figures, which presumably allowed him to employ assistants for backgrounds and details.[5]. The return of Astraea to earth is symbolic of the embodiment of continuing Justice with the birth of the future king. Millen & Wolf pp.220-221. All the surrounding figures are identifiable, including the artist himself. [26] During her last years, Marie travelled to various European courts, in the Spanish Netherlands (the ruler of which, Isabella Clara Eugenia, and the ambassador Balthazar Gerbier tried to reconcile her with Richelieu), in England at the court of her daughter Queen Henrietta Maria for three years (staying en route to London in Gidea Hall) and then in Germany; with her daughters and sons-in-law where she tried again to form a "league of sons-in-law" against France, without ever being able to return, and her supporters were imprisoned, banished or condemned to death. If Marie de Medici wasnt the most obedient wife, she wasnt the most caring mother, either. Thuillier, Jacques. The hydra's death is not at the hand of Apollo as might be expected. As soon as news reached the palace that the king had perished, parliament wasted no time confirming Marie as Regent over her young son Louis. 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. To the left, the arms of the Medici can be seen above an arched structure, where a Knight of Malta stands in all of his regalia. She gently touches Henrys shoulder and whispers in his ear, assuring him that a match with the Medici princess is indeed good for the kingdom. In 1616, the requirements of the Prince of Cond became so important that Marie had him arrested on 1 September and imprisoned him in the Bastille. We want our readers to trust us. Although the marriage succeeded in producing children, it was not a happy one. Sadly, Henrys breathtaking acts of cruelty knew no bounds. In Rubens's painting, Minerva, Prudence, Divine Providence and France; in the Caravaggio, St Dominic, St Peter the Martyr, and a pair of Dominican friars. The Regency was officially ended following the Lit de justice of 2 October 1614, which declared that Louis XIII had attained his legal majority of age, but Marie then became head of the Conseil du Roi and retained all her control over the government. But hey, beauty is only skin deepas it turned out, the real issue was that he was a monster inside. On September 27, 1601, Marie gave King Henry his biggest wish: A legitimate son. Through a causal nexus, this painting would have been available to Rubens and thereby plausible for its influence to exist within Rubens's own genius on canvas. [82] Anna, at age fourteen the older of the two, turns back as if to take leave of Spain, while France gently pulls her by the left arm. [78] Fame in the right side of the painting pushes air through the trumpet so powerfully that a burst of smoke comes out. Rubens received the commission in the autumn of 1621. Ann Arbor. Attributed to Cosimo de' Medici, Duke of Florence, in Apothegms by Francis Bacon, (1624) No. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. [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. Direct link to Jenni Roberts's post Why was Henry VI given a , Posted 6 years ago. [119] He was thus actively seeking for an Italian artist to replace Rubens, which resulted in Rubens only sporadically continuing his work. [70], This painting commemorates Marie taking over the government as new regent, and promoting long-term plans for peace in Europe by way of marriages between royal houses. [80], The Exchange of Princesses celebrates the double marriage of the Anna of Austria to Louis XIII of France and Louis XIII's sister, Princess Elisabeth, to future king of Spain, Philip IV on 9 November 1615. Catherine reminds Mary that her crown is powerful. Law cannot reach where enforcement will not follow. Below, Saturn raises Veritas to heaven which symbolizes truth being, "brought to the light", as well as the reconciliation between the Queen and her son. The overseer or creator of more than three thousand woodcuts, engravings and paintings in various mediums, Rubens's works include historical, religious and allegorical paintings, altarpieces, portraits and landscapes. Below, the river Andaye is filled with sea deities come to pay homage to the brides: the river-god Andaye rests on his urn, a nereid crowned with pearls offers a strand of pearls and coral as wedding gifts, while a triton blows the conch to herald the event. Growing up in Florence near the height of the Medici clans powers, the young Marie was friends with many Florentine masters. Kiera Cass. Specifically, the statues of Fracesco and Ferdinando de Medici. 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. Henry obliges; his helmet and shieldnow the playthings of two tender cherubslie at his feet. Today, most know the Medici family for their notorious exploits in Renaissance Italy, yet few remember their infamous descendant Marie de Medici, whose scandals were somehow even more shameful. An avid ballet performer and art collector, she deployed artistic patronage that helped develop the arts in France. As well see, Henriettes first true volley was a doozy. [36] Though Marie was born under the Taurus sign, Sagittarius appears in the painting; it may be seen as a guardian of imperial power. WebMedici Quotes Quotes tagged as "medici" Showing 1-7 of 7 The truth is, not one of is innocent. [67] This particular theme, within the painting as a whole, has found other great masters receiving inspiration and fascination from Rubens' tormented figure of Bellona, the goddess of War, who lays disarmed below. Though the painting shows Marie de' Medici's desire for security with the representation of the Temple of Security, the symbols of evil at bay, and the change of smoky haze to clarity, there is also underlying symbolism of unrest to the acceptance of the truce. Nevertheless, the Queen-Regent's policy caused discontent. [94] Rubens painted a scene of the event in a more heroic nature rather than showing the accuracy of realistic elements. Her body was brought back to the Basilica of St Denis and buried without much ceremony on 8 March 1643, and her heart was sent to La Flche, in accordance with the wish of Henry IV who wanted their two hearts to be reunited. [41] The painting displays an embellished Baroque collaboration of the spiritual and earthly relationships, which are illustrated in a theatrical environment. [8] The paintings are now displayed in the same order in the Louvre. That was one of Brian De Palma's best movies. She was accompanied by the Grand Duchess of Tuscany and her sister, the Duchess of Mantua, into the welcoming, allegorical open arms of a personified France, wearing a helmet and the royal blue mantle with the golden fleur-de-lis. [43] Rubens had a way of depicting France that was very versatile in gender in many of his paintings in the cycle. The Wedding by Proxy of Marie de' Medici to King Henry IV (162225), Rubens depicts the proxy marriage ceremony of the Florentine princess Marie de' Medici to the King of France, Henry IV which took place in the cathedral of Florence on 5 October 1600. Cupid and King Henry discussing the portrait of Marie de Medici (detail), Peter Paul Rubens. 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