Maria de Medici
1638
Gerard van Honthorst captures the formidable Maria de' Medici in this striking 1638 portrait, painted just a few years before her death. Dressed in heavy black velvet and clutching a rosary, she sits beneath a canopy of rich red drapery embroidered with the golden fleur-de-lis of France. Three playful cherubs flutter above her, showering the exiled queen with flowers, while a royal crown rests quietly on a cushion nearby—a poignant reminder of the power she once wielded and the political drama that defined her life.
- Technique
- Oil painting
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