The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de' Medici to Henry IV
1622-1625 Louvre Museum
About this artwork
This is one of twenty-four paintings in the Marie de' Medici cycle commissioned by the Queen herself to decorate the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. The painting depicts King Henry IV of France admiring a portrait of Marie de' Medici held by Cupid and Hymen, while Juno and Jupiter look down from the clouds.
Did you know?
This painting is part of an enormous cycle created by Rubens to glorify the life of Marie de' Medici, despite her life being marked by political instability and exile. Legend says King Henry IV fell in love with Marie simply by seeing this portrait, though the marriage was actually a calculated political alliance to help pay off the King's massive debts. The inclusion of Jupiter and Juno symbolizes the divine sanction of their marriage as a union of equals.
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The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de' Medici to Henry IV
Peter Paul Rubens, 1622-1625
