The Cleveland Museum of Art presents ‘Renaissance Splendor’, The Catherine de’ Medici’s Valois Tapes
Catherine de’ Medici was born in Florence, Italy as the daughter of Lorenzo de’ Medici and Madeleine de la Tour d’Avergne. At the tender age of 14, Catherine traveled to Paris to marry Henri Valois in1533, who in turn became Henri II, King of France in 1547. Upon his untimely death in 1559 due to a shattered lance piercing his eye and brain during a jousting tournament (he lived but scant days after the mishap), Catherine’s ten year old son, Charles IX became king but was declared too young to reign. Catherine was made Regent and after the death of the sickly Charles IX her second son Henri III was named ruler and she again was made Regent but with sweeping powers. It was a time of great upheaval in France as the Calvinist Protestants were at war with the Catholics. While Catherine tried her best to keep the peace between the two groups, her real aim was to glorify the Valois dynasty.
Evidence of this lavish lifestyle is captured in a series of huge and elaborate tapestries, six of which are now on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art through January 21, 2019. Although dressed in black mourning attire (that she wore for thirty years after her husband’s death) and placed in the background of all but one of the six tapestries on display, Catherine obviously enjoyed flaunting the wealth of her position with the staging of elaborate festivals (or Magnificents) of which only the high born were invited to attend. These shows of wealth were important to the queen mother since the Valois dynasty was plagued with periodic financial instability. In spite of these difficulties, Catherine built magnificent palaces, amassed an impressive art collection of portraits of family members as well as commissioned jewels and decorative vessels carved from semiprecious stone some of which are on display.
The tapestry works are based on eight designs drawn by artist Antoine Caron and later modified by Lucas de Heere to include the full length figures in the foreground. They were woven by a Belgian Master working in Brussels in the 1580s but with the assassination of Catherine’s son Henri III in 1589 (just months after Catherine’s death) the works were whisked off to Florence by the queen mother’s granddaughter Christina of Lorraine when she married Ferdinand I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Today the tapestries are the property of the Gallerie deg li Uffizi of Florence and this is the first public showing in many many years..
In 1998 an ambitious restoration project was undertaken to restore the tapestries to their original splendor. This included a series of chemical cleanings, reinforcements of weak areas and the repair of tears and missing thread in order to repair 450 years of exposure to dirt, dust, insects and light. This twenty year project has been recently concluded on the six tapestries now on display. Part of the exhibition includes a short silent film about the restoration process that is well worth watching.
The exhibition of these floor to ceiling high magnificent works gives viewers an up close look at the woven wool, silk and extensive use of precious metal wrapped threads (all of which were made by hand at the time). The highly detailed scenes are expansive with a sweeping view of the various festivals in which life size portraits of the French king, princes and princesses lock eyes with you in all the splendor of the Medici and Valois reigns. These works are a window into the pageantry, splendor and political intrigue of Renaissance Europe.
Take your time strolling through the large galleries of the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Exhibition Hall. At each tapestry you are invited to examine the original paper sketches of each work as you compare first concept with finished product. The tapestries are presented as acts beginning with Act I: Fontainebleau with Act II: Elephant, Act III: Journey, Act IV: Whale, Act V: Tournament and lastly Act VI: Polish Ambassadors following. Each scene portrays extravagantly concocted festivals and parties bent on impressing the viewer. This they accomplish hands down.
Combination ticket prices that include admission to both the Renaissance Splendor and the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit are on sale now to the general public at $25 for Adults, $21 for Seniors and college students, $12 for children 6-17 with museum members and children 5 and under free. Single tickets for just the Renaissance Splendor exhibit are $15 for Adults, $13 for Seniors and college students, $12 for adult groups, $7 for children 6-17 and member guests with members and children 5 and under free.
It is recommended that you purchase your tickets ahead of time by calling (216) 421-7350, online by going to http://www.clevelandart.org/ or by stopping by the museums ticket center.