This masterwork by Frans Pourbus presents Marie de’ Medici in her full royal splendor. Created in 1613, the portrait captures the very essence of Flemish Baroque with meticulous attention to detail.
The queen appears in a pictorial arrangement characteristic of the period: a three-quarter bust against a black background, highlighting her fair complexion and the extraordinary lace ruff that frames her face.
This monumental ruff, a technical tour de force in its rendering, radiates like a secular halo around the royal visage. Pearls—symbols of purity and power—adorn her neck and ears, emphasizing her status. Her hairstyle, typical of the era with its crimped and upswept hair, is treated with extraordinary precision. The queen’s direct gaze and slight smile convey a quiet confidence, that of a woman who, widowed from Henry IV three years prior, was then serving as regent of the Kingdom of France.
Additional Information
- Portrait of Marie de Medici (1573-1642), Queen of France painted in 1613 by Frans II Pourbus
- 65,5 x 57 cm
- Musée Carnavalet, History of Paris, Paris Musées
- https://www.parismuseescollections.paris.fr/fr/musee-carnavalet/oeuvres/portrait-de-marie-de-medicis-1573-1642-reine-de-france
Frans II Pourbus (1569-1622), known as “the Younger,” was one of the most sought-after portraitists of his time. Born into a family of Flemish artists, he excelled in the art of court portraiture, serving successively at Europe’s greatest courts—Mantua, Paris, and Brussels. His precise technique, inherited from the Flemish tradition, blended perfectly with Italian Mannerist elegance. He became the official painter to the French court under Marie de’ Medici, who particularly appreciated his ability to combine precision of detail with the dignity of royal representation. His portraits today constitute invaluable historical documents on fashion and the codes of power representation in the early 17th century.
