At the Louvre museum is a treasure of Flemish painting, the Medici Gallery. Painted by Rubens from 1622 to 1625, this cycle of 24 paintings meant for Marie de Medici was originally located in the Luxembourg Palace before being moved to the Louvre in 1816.
The queen herself commissioned this set of canvases which was to highlight the great times of her existence. Thus we can follow Marie de Medici’s life, from her birth to her reconciliation with her son Louis XIII, including her education, her marriage to Henri IV and the death of the latter.
We recognize the painter’s typical style in this cycle, with plump women and the predominance of red, his favorite color.
The vocation of these paintings was to glorify the royal couple of the early 17th century. It’s one of the rare painted cycles displaying the actions of a woman.
