[83], This particular painting in the Marie de' Medici Cycle is noteworthy for its uniqueness in execution. When a European king needed a wife, he didn't make the rounds of all the courts with available princesses. King smitten with the portrait of his bride-to-be (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). Here, we can see evidence of the adaptability of Rubens' style which made his career so successful. Marie served as regent of France between 1610 and 1617 during the minority of her son Louis XIII. Additional resources: Key moment in the Medici cycle from the Louvre On the left, two putti play with a shield on which the Medici crest appears, suggesting that Heaven favored the young Medici from the moment of her birth. These characteristics are known to be that of Piety or Religion, both of which Maria would want her son to embody. In the spring of 1617, Louis finally ousted his mother from the throne in a coup detat, exiling her to the remote Chateau de Blois and executing her ally Concino Concini in the process. We want our readers to trust us. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? The many headed hydra struck a fatal blow by Divine Justice as witnessed by Divine Providence, a theme based on a classical seventeenth century metaphor for insurrection. Princeton University Press. [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. Henry's painting, beginning the West Wall of the gallery, depicts the scenes following the capture of Paris. Powerful ones. While the other paintings were completed at Rubens's studio in Antwerp, The Felicity of the Regency of Marie de' Medici was designed and painted entirely by Rubens on the spot to replace another, far more controversial depiction of Marie's 1617 expulsion from Paris by her son Louis. [125], The Triumphal Entry into Paris is the culminating point of the North End of the gallery. Rubens gave Mercury an impression untruthfulness by illustrating his figure hiding a caduceus behind his thigh. Jupiter and Juno (detail), Peter Paul Rubens. WebMarie 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. Marie might have been grieving, but she wasnt motherless for long. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. The wall opposite the gallery's entrance presents an image of the assassination and assumption of Henry IV, as well as the proclamation of the widowed Marie's regency. Marie was one smart cookie, though: Not only did none of the conspiracies work, she somehow managed to grasp even more power with each revolt. [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. However, this match is about politics as well as love. [121] Of the oil sketches executed later by him, only nine survive, along with five large unfinished canvasses. You should. Somehow, it only got worse. Little did Marie know, Henry had very likely promised to marry Henriette after the dissolution of his first marriage, not some upstart Medici noble. For example, how she overcomes the rebellions and the disorders of the State. She groomed a young and soon-to-be notorious Cardinal Richelieu as a statesman, teaching the so-called Red Eminence everything he knew. The second rower's shield depicts a flaming altar with four sphinxes, a coiling serpent and an open eye that looks downwards. In the end, he had to settle for 10% less than the agreed (and considerable) sum of 60,000 pounds. 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. It is believed that the original painting mentioned in the letter depicting Marie's departure from Paris was rejected in favor of The Felicity of the Regency due to the more innocuous subject matter of the latter. Louis and his mother were not reconciled for over four years, and finally in 1621 Marie was permitted to return to Paris. It is the weed called envy . Well then, off to a great start. [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). The paintings of each gallery would have been exhibited as an integrated pair, unifying all forty-eight scenes.[120]. Pages are cut with intricate patterns that are made to look like lace of the period.[21]. The day after Marie officially became Queen of France, her husband suffered a horrific fate. Louis looks upwards to his mother for guidance on how to steer the ship of state. [42] It would be one of two paintings most visually apparent upon entrance into the gallery through the southeast corner. Minerva, goddess of wisdom, bears her helmet and shield and stands near Marie's shoulder, signifying her wise rule. However her bottom half, most notably her exposed calves and Roman boots hints at a masculinity. 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The marriage of Henry IV with Maria de' Medici represented above all, for France, a solution to dynastic and financial concerns: it was said that the French king "owed the bride's father, Francesco de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who had helped support his war effort, a whopping 1,174,000 cus and this was the only means Henry could find to pay back the debt"[8] In addition, the Medici familybanking creditors of the Kings of Francepromised a dowry of 600,000 cus d'or (2 million livres including 1 million paid in cash to cancel the debt contracted by France with the Medici bank),[9] which earned the future Queen the nickname "the big banker" (la grosse banquire) from her jealous rival, Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues, Henry IV's current matresse-en-titre. Reading from left to right, we see the cityscape with its single hill. Being the king's last major battle fought, this served as an optimal location. Very devout, she was known to keep an open mind, and to depend on those around her for support. *laughs nervously*. Power Deferred In 1559, her eldest son, Francis II, came to the throne at just 15 years old. 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. Rubens must have seen these paintings and therefore influenced his own style for depicting the Queen's mother. 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. After Marie became Queen of France in 1610, she began a ruthless reign of cruel betrayals, shocking violence, and overweening ambition. Summary []. Household scenes took place, followed by periods of relative peace. Their only brother Philip de' Medici, was born on 20 May 1577. Marie subsequently traveled to Cologne, where she took refuge in a house loaned by her friend Pierre-Paul Rubens. After negotiating the terms of the contract in early 1622, the project was to be completed within two years, coinciding with the marriage of Marie's daughter, Henrietta Maria. The fact that the Henry IV series was not realized can be attributed in part to Marie de' Medici being permanently banned from France by her son in 1631. 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. [71], Cupid and Juno bind two doves together over a split sphere in the painting as a symbol of peace and love. [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. View of the Marie de Medici cycle by Peter Paul Rubens in the Louvre (photo: Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de Medici (at left), Marie de Medici cycle in the Louvre, Cupid and King Henry discussing the portrait of Marie de Medici (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). If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. 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. [78] Fame in the right side of the painting pushes air through the trumpet so powerfully that a burst of smoke comes out. They remained close until Margarets passing in 1615. [59] While Rubens was certainly aware of the inherent meaning of the orb and employed it to great effect, it appears that Marie and her counselors instigated its introduction into the cycle to add allegorical and political grandeur to the events surrounding Marie's regency. Marie de' Medici was an art patron and political schemer whose marriage was unhappy, her husband preferring his mistresses. The scene is rich with symbolism highlighting her heroism and victory. In fact, it was around this time she came up with the final, ridiculous scheme of her life. She mostly quarreled with the matresse-en-titre Catherine de Balzac d'Entragues (whom Henry IV had allegedly promised he would marry following the death in 1599 of his former matresse-en-titre, Gabrielle d'Estres[12]) in a language that shocked French courtiers; also, it was said in court that Henry IV took Marie only for breeding purposes exactly as Henry II had treated Catherine de' Medici. Rubens composes The Coronation in Saint-Denis for distanced viewing by employing accents of red. This orb functions both as an allusion to the Roman orbis terrarum (sphere of earth) which signifies the domain and power of the Roman emperor, and as a subtle assertion of the claim of the French monarchy upon the imperial crown. Taking advantage of the clear weakness of the Regency, the princes of the blood under the leadership of Henri II, Prince of Cond, rebelled against Marie. [44] A personification of France is shown behind Henry in her helmet, her left hand showing support, sharing in his admiration of the future sovereignty. 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. [8] In 1621, Marie de' Medici commissioned Rubens to paint two large series depicting the lives of herself and her late husband, Henry IV, to adorn both wings of the first floor of the Luxembourg Palace. Above them, two putti brandish hymeneal torches, a small zephyr blows a warm breeze of spring and scatter roses, and a circle of joyous butterfly-winged putti surround Felicitas Publica with the caduceus, who showers the couple with gold from her cornucopia. Steer the ship of State to Paris 's last major battle fought, this served as an integrated,... Reading from left to right, we sometimes miss the mark Paris is the culminating point of the adaptability Rubens. 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