effyeaharthistory:The Disembarkation at Marseilles (Marie de’ Medici Cycle), Peter Paul Rubens (Flem
effyeaharthistory:The Disembarkation at Marseilles (Marie de’ Medici Cycle), Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish), 1622-25, oil on canvas, 394 × 295 cm, Musée du Louvre, ParisI believe our anonymous asker will be satisfied to find the women in the foreground of this painting quite Rubenesque. The Disembarkation at Marseilles is the sixth work in the Marie de’ Medici Cycle commissioned by Marie de’ Medici to immortalize herself. In 1600 Marie de’ Medici was married by proxy to King Henry IV of France, as depicted here, she then moved to France to become queen. In reality, however, Marie de’ Medici was not accompanied to her adopted land by Poseidon and a corp of Naiads. Nor was the queen welcomed by France personified (wearing a helmet and blue mantle emblazoned with fleur-de-lis). Nor did Fame personified trumpet her arrival to the world. Nor did she descend to the shore from her ship (she ascended the gangplank, but that doesn’t look nearly so triumphant). In fact the picture is a bit more allegorical than directly truthful, if that wasn’t clear from first glance. When you look at this picture, the idea Rubens really wants us to take away is that Marie de’ Medici’s arrival in France was a big deal. Marie de’ Medici’s rule was not particularly triumphant, but considering the cycle she commissioned from Rubens, it certainly seems she would have us think otherwise. -- source link
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