CATHERINE DE’ MEDICI AND THE ART OF SELF-DEFINITION IN SIXTEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE

Abstract

Catherine de’ Medici (1519-1589) was defined in part by the powerful men in her life: her uncle Pope Clement VII (1523-1534), her husband Henri II (1519-1559), King of France, and later her sons Francis II (1544-1560), Charles IX (1550-1574), and Henri III (1551-1589). Despite attempts by others to elide her individual identity and hold her power in check, Catherine created politically effective representations of herself, her position, and her authority through commissioning and displaying art. The artistic sphere was not inherently political, which allowed Catherine to redefine her identity outside of male influence and to take ownership of the multiple, intersecting roles she occupied as a wife, widow, and mother. By creating an identity that included this assemblage of roles, Catherine created her own independent narrative that asserted her political authority and individual identity. Catherine was not the first early modern woman to creatively define herself outside of societal expectations. While breaking from tradition in certain ways, in others she utilized approaches similar to those that Margaret of Austria (1480-1530), Regent of the Netherlands, had used in Mechelen a generation earlier and encouraged her female descendants, specifically her granddaughter Christine de Lorraine (1565-1637), and the next generation to do the same, including the future queen of France Marie de’ Medici (1575-1642). These three generations of women collectively show the power of self-created female identity and also reveal that Catherine, while unique in many ways, was not the only elite woman of the sixteenth century to sidestep societal constructs to define herself and her role through art. In so doing, she advanced her socio-political position to personal and familial benefit.Art historyart collection, art display, Catherine de' Medici, France, portrait, RenaissanceArtDegree Awarded: M.A. Art. American Universit