Well, hi there! Let me take advantage of being at the Louvre to tell you a little personal story
(because of course there's nothing more interesting to talk about here than myself…).
When I was a child, I was super simple and modest.
So I wanted to become the queen of the entire world! I even thought about
stuff such as the way I would talk about myself using "we" like the French kings used to do:
"We, NaRt, master of the known world" is a pretty bad-ass introduction, isn't it?
But the thing I didn't think about was how I was going to legitimate my power.
How could I ensure 7 billions people's devotion?
Well since the Louvre is both a historical place of power and
one of the most beautiful art collections in the world, why not look at how the sovereigns have used art
in order to justify their power?
Purely out of intellectual curiosity, of course...
Of course, when you add up "French monarchy + assertion of authority",
"divine right monarchy" immediately comes to mind.
During the Hundred Years War, when French power was highly questioned,
jurists came up with a theory that explains how the king receives his authority...
directly from God Himself! Which is extremely convenient
when it comes to legitimate your power: "my power? Well, God gave it to me, little lady!"
The king becomes a pillar of Christianity and reminds it as often as possible, by representing
himself in very pious situations.
Take a look for instance at this altarpiece representing the Christ's crucifixion.
What can we see on the bottom medallion? Well if it isn't François Ist!
Look at how pious he is: kneeling, his hands in prayer,
a Bible opened in front of him...such humility!
And what a great way to remind that he is a "very christian king",
who embodies God on earth.
With humility, of course! Actually, since the beginnings of Christianity,
the holy figure is used as a way to justify power, including military power.
Take a look for instance at this beautiful ivory layer: we can see an emperor (who's probably Justinien)
wearing a roman armor, to whom winged victories are giving crowns,
while defeated peoples are holding out some offerings.
And look who is there to give his benediction?
It's the Christ of course, who blesses with his gesture the emperor's military triumph. This way, the emperor,
who is a standard bearer of Christianity, gets his military power justified by faith!
Since we are looking at Ancient Rome, let us linger there a bit longer! Indeed, roman emperors
haven't waited for Christianity in order to use divine figures to legitimize their power!
Look for instance at emperor Hadrien,
who had himself depicted as Mars (the roman god of war), with all his attributes:
crested helmet, gladiator sword, armor… He is the first emperor to be represented as a god
during his lifetime, which allows him to impose himself as a protector of peace and prosperity!
Therefore, it is not surprising to see our beloved French kings
monopolizing for a bit the ancient gods in order to convey
strong messages.
For instance, what better way to project an image of courage than
to borrow the mythological image of strength itself: Hercules?
Look at this picture.
There is dwelling about it: the club, the lion's skin and even the several heads of a very dead Hydra;
this definitely is Hercules!
But mainly, this picture is a portrait of Henri IV, depicted as the kingdom's peacemaker.
And yes, I admit there is something a tad ridiculous about an old king's head
on a young muscular body and,
as far as I am concerned, I wouldn't have dared...
but Henri IV has done similar things in the past,
since he was previously depicted as Mars or, like on this statue, as Jupiter.
Because, if a king wants to be shown as a god, the least he can do is to pick to king of gods!
Naturally, one could argue that we are faced with the mere expression of an artist.
After all, Henri IV must have had some fans.
So, are these the very first fanarts of French history or
is it all part of the king's plan to be depicted as such? No surprise here,
the second answer is the right one! This phenomenon particularly develops
under the rule of dear king Henri IV.
Indeed, by the end of the 16th century, after years of civil and religious war,
he wants to spread the image of a victorious and peacemaking king.
In order to do so, he creates a vast artistic policy, since he understands that through art,
he can convey his best picture.
A true political will through patronage,
which could definitely help me in my world conquest…
To use religion or mythology in order to legitimate one's power is not the only way to do so.
Look for instance at this porcelain tray.
You should be used to is by know and you probably have recognized dear king Henri IV,
in all its heroic nudity.
He is here, surrounded by his Greek gods buddies,
reminding us of his government's prosperity.
But this artwork is not here to glorify Henri as much as it does for one of his descendant:
Louis XVIII.
It is the 19th century, the first member of the Bourbon dynasty is has been dead
and burred for a while, and here his picture is used to glorify a new king
of the Bourbon dynasty.
Indeed, there's nothing better to justify your power than to appropriate history!
Truly, everybody wants to borrow the image of good king Henri,
since it's Louis XIII's time to draw inspiration from his portrait by Frans Pourbus.
The king is wearing a black armor, his hand on a long staff,
standing in a pose similar to his father's (Henri IV).
The painter Philippe de Champaigne used a composition similar to the painting of Henri IV in armor,
from which he borrowed the dignity (with this very natural aloof bearing)
and the theatricality (with this red curtain which just happened to be there),
in order to confirm Louis XIII's status as a war hero.
Just after Louis XIII comes one of the most famous kings of France,
especially when talking about absolute monarchy: I am talking of course about Louis XIV.
And the Sun King too did not hesitate to use historical figure
in order to ground his power.
To ground him...on a horse preferably.
And so when we take a look at this statue, we know it isn't meant to show
the king's love for equestrian stroll, but it is in fact
a reference to the roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Girardon, the sculptor, has borrowed inspiration in the ancient model of the emperor's equestrian statue
in order to represent the sovereign authority of Louis XIV.
Actually, the message is much more important than any form of realism here,
since this sculpture is very anachronistic.
The king is wearing the clothes of a roman emperor for instance,
but his wig is contemporary of his time.
This sculpture was a reduction of a much larger one which was placed at the center of Paris,
which was a good way to remind the people that its elderly king was still there,
always in the job and strong with his absolute power.
Because when one wants to legitimate power, historical truth is not as important
as symbols.
Let us take another look at a picture we saw several times already: Henri IV wearing an armor.
This bronze statue offers us quite the sample of the different insignia of power:
the royal coat with an ermine collar to remind us
that power and wealth are one and the same, the orders of the Holy Spirit and Saint Michel's garland,
to remind that the origin of this power is divine.
We can also see the king's sword sheath and the commander staff,
both symbols of military power, and the laurel crown,
representing victory in the manner of roman emperors.
Indeed, the best way to confirm military power
is often to simply get depicted wearing an armor.
This is what Saint Louis does, for instance. The king of the 9th crusade is here
painted by Greco as a king,
a warrior and a saint, as reminded to us by his various insignia:
his armor for his warrior side,
the scepter, the hand of justice and the crown which are the perfect attributes of royalty,
and the pose and framing, which are similar to Greco's holy effigies,
in order to remind the king's place within Christianity.
Indeed, such a framing which stops at the chest is rather rare for royal portraits,
which generally show the king from top to bottom, because...it is so much more imposing!
Look for instance at this enthroned Louis XVI, standing on his platform just in front of his throne.
Everything in this painting is meant to evoke power: the balustrade and the pillar
embody the French monarchy's stability,
while the regalia are laid on a cushion.
The regawhat? The regalia: they are objects symbolizing royalty.
In France, they are the hand of justice (here it is silver),
and the golden closed crown.
While we are at it, we notice that the king is still meant to be a warrior,
since he is wearing Charlemagne's sword and the order of the Holy Spirit's garland.
So you see, centuries go by but symbols, they don't change much!
But when you change political regime...symbols must change too!
Louis XVI was the end of the monarchy, it is therefore inconceivable
for Napoleon to use the same insignia as him, because they are a reminder of the Bourbon dynasty!
Farewell, old regalia, here comes novelty!
The blue coat with fleur-de-lis is so monarchy...say welcome to the red coat,
to symbols from the roman Empire and to the Legion of Honor's garland.
In fact, with the exception of the decor (which is extremely similar) and the general composition
(which wouldn't look odd among other kings' portraits),
Napoleon does everything in his power to stay clear of any allusion to the Bourbon dynasty,
in order to emphasize that his regime has nothing to do with the monarchy of the past.
Indeed, I'm sure you understood, the most important part when one wants to legitimate power,
is the message.
Weather you use history, religion or insignia,
you put forward a certain type of power.
Naturally, this image building was not a specialty of the kings of old:
current figure of power too, use it.
And it is always very interesting to look at these official depictions in order to understand
what type of power our political rulers want to put forward and how they legitimate it.
Hold on a second! Is there anything there that shocks you? Henri IV, Louis XIV, Napoleon...
what do they have in common? Of course, they are all men!
As if the history of power was necessary a male-dominated story…
In order to right this wrong, I encourage you to go check the Louvre's YouTube channel,
where we'll talk about the female side of this whole story!
In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this video.
If so, don't forget that thumbs up, cute reviews and sharing the video helps the channel a great deal,
as well as a visit to the Tipeee and Utip pages.
As for me, I say you goodbye and see you soon, for even more art!
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