Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), The Marriage of Henri IV of France and Marie de Médicis, 1628-30, Oil on oak panel, 23 x 12,5 cm, Wallace Collection, London
The narrative embedded in this modello unfolds against the backdrop of 17th-century European politics, characterised by political ambitions, personal relationships, and the pursuit of legacy.
Rubens and Marie de Médicis likely first met at the proxy wedding of Marie to King Henri IV of France on October 5, 1600, in Florence. At that time, Rubens was serving at the court of Vincenzo I Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, who was married to Eleonora de’ Medici, Marie’s sister. A decade later, just a day after her coronation, her husband, Henri IV, was assassinated, propelling Marie de Médicis into a contentious regency for her son, Louis XIII. In 1621, Marie, then the Queen Mother, commissioned Rubens to create a series of paintings celebrating her life and her late husband’s. Completed by 1625, this commission, full of complex allegories and exaggerated illusions of political power she did not possess, resulted in two significant cycles displayed in the Luxembourg Palace in Paris.
Believed to have been created between 1628 and 1630, this sketch was intended for a subsequent project to commemorate Henri IV’s life. Encapsulating themes of peace and reconciliation, it symbolises Henri’s submission to Marie, reflecting on the political and personal dynamics of their marriage. The olive branch Henri presents to Marie symbolises peace. The series this sketch belonged to remained unfinished due to Marie’s political decline, marked by her exile following power struggles with her son, King Louis XIII.
By the end of her life, Marie de Médicis lived with her parrot in Cologne, as a refugee in reduced circumstances. Rubens, who had become more of a diplomat than a court painter, arranged her accommodation in Cologne. Interestingly, Rubens spent his childhood as the son of a Protestant refugee in Siegen and Cologne. By the end of his life, he had risen to the status to help an ex-queen of France.
