Catherine de' Medici  

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Catherine de' Medici (April 13, 1519January 5, 1589) was born in Florence, Italy, as Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de' Medici.

Patron of the arts

Catherine de' Medici's patronage of the arts

Catherine believed in the humanist ideal of the learned Renaissance prince whose authority depended on letters as well as arms. She was inspired by the example of her father-in-law, King Francis I of France, who had hosted the leading artists of Europe at his court, and by her Medici ancestors. In an age of civil war and declining respect for the monarchy, she sought to bolster royal prestige through lavish cultural display. Once in control of the royal purse, she launched a programme of artistic patronage that lasted for three decades. During this time, she presided over a distinctive late French Renaissance culture in all branches of the arts.




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Catherine de' Medici" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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