The event is a tribute to Caterina and Maria de’ Medici (Family Tree), queens of France yet both imbued with a fresh and innovative cultural approach. They were energetic regents: two women in power, both controversial, both emblematic, and both of whom left their mark on a century of European history.
400 years on, Florence is celebrating their legend by "virtually" bringing them back to their home city in a fascinating exhibition taking its cue from the recent reassembly of a series of monumental tapestries previously displayed in a very popular exhibition at the Galerie des Gobelins in Paris, and in the Château de Chambord
The 15 spectacular tapestries, all close to five meters in height and devoted to the legendary Queen Artemisia, bear witness to the way in which two Medici queens of France used powerful images to legitimize their claims to rule over warring families and factions.
To glorify Caterina, the legend of two very different Artemisias from antiquity was appropriated: the warrior queen who fought at the battle of Salamis, and the widowed queen of Rhodes celebrated as the builder of the Mausoleum dedicated to the memory of her husband. The merging of these two myths allowed Caterina to project the image of the grieving widow and the powerful ruler at the same time. The cycle of tapestries was only manufactured under Henri IV who dedicated it to Maria, focusing on the theme of the education of the ideal prince, her son, who was to become Louis XIII, sparing no expense either in yarn or in the use of gold.
This full immersion in legend and history begins with a section displaying exquisite paintings and masterpieces that shed light on the two queens' personalities, highlighting their passion for collecting through a selection of works designed to illustrate their sophisticated and discerning taste.
The first section with the portraits of the two queens and the pictures showing their respective weddings introduce the theme of "women in power", while the precious objets d'art on display will enable visitors to admire the refinement of their collections. Such intriguing objects as a mysterious astral talisman that belonged to Caterina – hinting at the queen's passion for sorcery and at her relations with Nostradamus – or a series of letters, will allow visitors a more intimate insight into their private lives.
In a spectacular "tapestry gallery" – almost a black box designed to underscore their vibrant colors – we find the 15 monumental wall hangings themselves, in the company of a series of plaster casts intended to evoke their subject matter.
A section devoted to "Returning Artemisia to Legend" contains a wonderful group of paintings with tremendous dramatic pathos by such celebrated 17th century Italian painters as Francesco Curradi, Girolamo Forabosco, Cesare Dandini, Domenico Fetti, Giovan Gioseffo Dal Sole, Bernardino Mei and Francesco Cairo. Ornate attire and sumptuous furnishings provide an overview of the goldsmith's art of the period, with a selection of extremely precious objets d'art echoing the splendor of the painted vessels, adding a lifelike three-dimensional quality to the visit.
400 years on, Florence is celebrating their legend by "virtually" bringing them back to their home city in a fascinating exhibition taking its cue from the recent reassembly of a series of monumental tapestries previously displayed in a very popular exhibition at the Galerie des Gobelins in Paris, and in the Château de Chambord
The 15 spectacular tapestries, all close to five meters in height and devoted to the legendary Queen Artemisia, bear witness to the way in which two Medici queens of France used powerful images to legitimize their claims to rule over warring families and factions.
To glorify Caterina, the legend of two very different Artemisias from antiquity was appropriated: the warrior queen who fought at the battle of Salamis, and the widowed queen of Rhodes celebrated as the builder of the Mausoleum dedicated to the memory of her husband. The merging of these two myths allowed Caterina to project the image of the grieving widow and the powerful ruler at the same time. The cycle of tapestries was only manufactured under Henri IV who dedicated it to Maria, focusing on the theme of the education of the ideal prince, her son, who was to become Louis XIII, sparing no expense either in yarn or in the use of gold.
This full immersion in legend and history begins with a section displaying exquisite paintings and masterpieces that shed light on the two queens' personalities, highlighting their passion for collecting through a selection of works designed to illustrate their sophisticated and discerning taste.
The first section with the portraits of the two queens and the pictures showing their respective weddings introduce the theme of "women in power", while the precious objets d'art on display will enable visitors to admire the refinement of their collections. Such intriguing objects as a mysterious astral talisman that belonged to Caterina – hinting at the queen's passion for sorcery and at her relations with Nostradamus – or a series of letters, will allow visitors a more intimate insight into their private lives.
In a spectacular "tapestry gallery" – almost a black box designed to underscore their vibrant colors – we find the 15 monumental wall hangings themselves, in the company of a series of plaster casts intended to evoke their subject matter.
A section devoted to "Returning Artemisia to Legend" contains a wonderful group of paintings with tremendous dramatic pathos by such celebrated 17th century Italian painters as Francesco Curradi, Girolamo Forabosco, Cesare Dandini, Domenico Fetti, Giovan Gioseffo Dal Sole, Bernardino Mei and Francesco Cairo. Ornate attire and sumptuous furnishings provide an overview of the goldsmith's art of the period, with a selection of extremely precious objets d'art echoing the splendor of the painted vessels, adding a lifelike three-dimensional quality to the visit.
