Feasts and Crimes in the Renaissance. The Court of Henry III.
Somogy| N° d'inventaire | 22973 |
| Format | 22 x 28 |
| Détails | 152 p., paperback with flaps. |
| Publication | Paris, 2010 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782757203798 |
Henry III (1551-1589), the last sovereign of the Valois dynasty, third son of Henry II and Catherine de Medici, ascended the throne in 1574, for what would prove to be a reign marked by religious wars, political crimes, and the splendor of the court. It is this constant tension that the artistic productions presented in the exhibition and reproduced in this book seek to explore. Was not one of the greatest French artists of the second half of the 16th century, Antoine Caron, described as the "painter of festivals and massacres"?* Through a wide variety of works, this book offers a new perspective on the assassination of the Duke of Guise and presents a faithful portrait of the last Valois. An intellectual king, artist, and poet, patron of men of letters, but also an administrator concerned with the kingdom, the sovereign with a complex personality was also the victim of a legend that portrayed him as a weak and affected king. The contrasting echoes that surround the monarch with a halo of mystery have prompted historians to question the foundations of this ambiguous portrait. Who was this character, whom posterity has cast a black veil over, and why such legends? By reexamining the facts, "Fêtes et crimes à la Renaissance" seeks to paint a more faithful and also more flattering portrait of this monarch, both a participant and a victim of a troubled era.
Henry III (1551-1589), the last sovereign of the Valois dynasty, third son of Henry II and Catherine de Medici, ascended the throne in 1574, for what would prove to be a reign marked by religious wars, political crimes, and the splendor of the court. It is this constant tension that the artistic productions presented in the exhibition and reproduced in this book seek to explore. Was not one of the greatest French artists of the second half of the 16th century, Antoine Caron, described as the "painter of festivals and massacres"?* Through a wide variety of works, this book offers a new perspective on the assassination of the Duke of Guise and presents a faithful portrait of the last Valois. An intellectual king, artist, and poet, patron of men of letters, but also an administrator concerned with the kingdom, the sovereign with a complex personality was also the victim of a legend that portrayed him as a weak and affected king. The contrasting echoes that surround the monarch with a halo of mystery have prompted historians to question the foundations of this ambiguous portrait. Who was this character, whom posterity has cast a black veil over, and why such legends? By reexamining the facts, "Fêtes et crimes à la Renaissance" seeks to paint a more faithful and also more flattering portrait of this monarch, both a participant and a victim of a troubled era.