Art Analysis "The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de' Medici" by Peter Paul Rubens

(Rubens, Paul Peter The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de' Medici, 1622-25)

Background: 

    Queen Marie de Medici commissioned this piece by Paul Peter Rubens in 1622 as part of a twenty-four painting series to commemorate her life and adorn one of the two galleries in the Luxemburg Palace (Camara). It's painted in oil on a 394 x 295 cm canvas. She used her influence of French royalty and Medici lineage to commission Rubens to paint her series, including this piece. Despite her background and marriage to a king, her life could have been more interesting. She had a shaky relationship with Henry IV (who died before her), she had children with him (one of which died in infancy), and she reigned France until her son, Louis XIII, exiled her since she had a hard time relinquishing royal power (Louvre).

    Which, with the rest of her life, wasn't enough for Rubens to fill twenty-four canvases. So, swept up in the Baroque style, he painted scenes with extreme grandiosity and over-the-top divine and mythological figures. This gave the paintings a presence of the historical, allegorical, and mythological with realistic qualities (Louvre). Marie worked closely with Ruben's workshop to ensure it idealized and allegorized her "life in light of the peace and prosperity she brought to the kingdom" (Camara). The Presentation of the Portrait of  Marie de' Medici presents Henry's betrothal to Marie as "a union ordained by the gods, counseled by France, and inspired by Marie's beauty and virtues" (Camara). While it was actually arranged by the alliance's French and Italian proponents, Henry was distracted by his mistress at the time but recognized the political and financial necessity of the marriage. 

Personal Connection: 

    Half of this painting is about idealized love and its importance. I like the notion that love is so powerful that even the gods are subject to it. Its grandiosity and excessiveness help exude the feelings of love and keep me viewing it. 

Art Elements: 

Color/Tone:

    Ruben's brilliant use of color creates realistic scenery and figures and exemplifies the figures' preeminence. Gods Jupiter and Juno wear brightly, monocolored clothes, signifying their importance to the scene and making them stand out from the multicolored background and gradients. There's a also pink ribbon that binds the gods together. The same goes for the personification of France standing behind Henry IV, she's dressed in the brilliant blue of France's heraldry. 

    The toning and colors make everything naturally lit. The clouds Jupiter and Juno rest on realistically shadow the cherubs and Henry IV's armor. Henry IV is wearing opulent armor that is colored and shaded to realism. 

Line:

    There are a few obvious lines in this piece. But, "in Baroque fashion, the composition is structured using a series of diagonal lines" (Harris and Zucker). Which helps create a sense of motion and liveliness. There is a sightline from the cherubs on the ground toward Henry IV's face and the portrait. There's another sightline that crosses the portrait toward Hymen, the god of marriage, who presents the portrait on the left. A final sightline goes down from Jupiter and Juno down towards Hymen and the portrait. All of this conveys this marriage's importance with the divine interest of both gods and France. 

Space: 

   The spacing and placement show the relevance of the figures to the marriage. Henry IV and the Personification of France practically neck and neck. Her propinquity displays Henry's bond and closeness to France. She is whispering into his ear about the significance of France uniting with the Medicis. While Hymen and Cupid present the portrait to Henry, their proximity signifies divine approval of the marriage and love. The smoke from a battle in the background is distant. Which distances its importance to Henry and enhances the portrait's significance to Henry.

Works Cited:

Camara, Esperanca. “A-Level: Peter Paul Rubens, the Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de’ Medici.” Smarthistory ALevel Peter Paul Rubens The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de Medici Comments, 17 July 2017, smarthistory.org/rubens-the-presentation-of-the-portrait-of-marie-de-medici-3/. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Harris, Beth, and Steven Zucker. “Rubens, The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de Medici.” Khan Academy, 30 June 2014, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/reformation-counter-reformation/v/rubens-marie. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Louvre Museum. “To the Glory of a Queen of France - the Galerie Médicis.” Le Louvre, www.louvre.fr/en/explore/the-palace/to-the-glory-of-a-queen-of-france. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.