Francis I was the first Renaissance king of France, and reigned from 1515 to 1547. A man of considerable intelliugence and education, Francis embraced the new art of Renaisssance Italy with enthusiasm and taste, collecting the finest paintings and sculptures from Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian and others, When possible he brought the artists back to work with him in France. His many acquisitions and commissions formed the nucleus of the French royal collections, now in the Louvre.
French King Francis I, who reigned from 1515 until his death in 1547, was an enlightened patron of the arts. Embracing the new style of Renaissance Italy even as he warred against the small, independent Italian states, he collected paintings and sculptures by Leonardo da Vinci (including the Mona Lisa), Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto, Agnolo Bronzini, Benvenuto Cellini and Fra Bartolommeo. These treasures, along with art by a host of lesser-known masters, plus tapestries, illustrated books, objects and antiquities, decorated his chateau, Fontainebleau, a showcase designed to enhance his absolutist rule and impress visitors. Featuring 400 color plates, this splendid study reconstructs the history of each artwork, traces Francis's dealings with merchants and art agents and places the collection in a political context as an expression of the monarch's aristocratic outlook. Cox-Rearick teaches art history at Hunter College and the City University of New York Graduate Center.
Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
French king Francis I (1515-47) embodied many of the characteristics of medieval chivalry and the Renaissance prince. Conqueror of much of northern Italy, he is best remembered as the father of the French Renaissance. The prodigious advances made in art and letters spurred by his patronage grew out of intense rivalries with fellow sovereigns Charles V of Spain and Henry VIII of England, who?though having defeated him on the field of battle?never surpassed his cultural achievements. Francis acquired an enormous collection of Italian art largely by importing the finished work or the artists themselves (Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Sarto are notable examples). These acquisitions later became the core of Louis XIV's holdings at Versailles, and now most are on display at the Louvre. Cox-Rearick (art history, Hunter Coll., and author of Bronzino's Chapel of Eleonora in the Palazzo Vecchio, LJ 7/93) examines these works from the point of view of seeing Francis I as their "collector." Each work is illustrated and documented in detail; most interesting are the discussions of lost masterpieces. Though expensive, this scholarly accomplishment is a worthwhile purchase for all large art collections.?Douglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
