Portrait of Maria de' Medici - Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

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Portrait of Maria de' Medici

Pourbus, Frans "the Younger"

Antwerp, Belgium, 15/09/1569-Paris, 09/02/1622

Oil on canvas

214.7 x 124.5 cm

1606-1607

First decade of the 17th century

84/86

Bequeathed by Lorenzo Hurtado de Saracho in 1984

This is an impressive effigy of Maria de' Medici: the splendour of her jewels, the harmony of the red and black, the palatial setting with its architecture and the sumptuous backcloth, the mastery of the perspective that places the model in a dominant position as regards the viewer, and the verism of the queen's features (still young, slightly pale) are all elements that turn this portrait into a tribute to the first lady of the kingdom. Although she is not wearing any attributes (neither a crown, nor a royal mantle) the artist bestows a singular aura to his subject.

Pourbus painted this portrait of Maria de' Medici during the time he worked for Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua. In 1606, having been settled in Italy for several years, the painter travelled to France to attend the ceremony for the christening of the Dauphin, the future Louis XIII, son of Henry IV and Maria de' Medici. On that occasion he was probably introduced to the queen and she must have realised how useful Pourbus's talent could prove in the service of her interests. Back in Mantua, the artist painted the portrait of his new patron, which marked an important moment in his career. The work was quite likely destined for the French court.

Pourbus trained in Flanders and devoted most of his career to spreading the court portrait as it was interpreted in Madrid and in the courts under its dependence. He became one of the most important court portraitists of the early 17th century, working in Brussels, Mantua, Innsbruck, Turin, Naples and Paris, for an aristocratic clientele. A contemporary of Rubens, Pourbus is one of the Flemish artists expatriated in Europe. [Blaise Ducos]

Selected bibliography

  • Tesoros del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : pintura, 1400-1939 [Cat. exp.]. Madrid, El Viso, 1989. pp. 38-39, n° cat. 5.
  • "Don Lorenzo Hurtado de Saracho", Urtekaria 1984 : asterlanak, albistak = anuario 1984 : estudios, crónicas. 1985. p. 8. (Con el título Retrato de María de Medici, y atribuida a Frans Pourbus)
  • Capolavori dal Museo di Bellas Artes di Bilbao [Cat. exp.]. Roma, Leonardo-De Luca, 1991. pp. 46-47, n° cat. 20. (Con el título Ritratto di Maria de' Medici, y atribuido a Frans POURBUS ”Il giovane”)
  • Gállego, Julián. "Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoak eskuratutako antxinako artelanak, 1980-1992 = Adquisiciones de arte antíguo en el Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 1980-1992 [Folleto]", Guía de Exposiciones, n° 181. 1993. n° cat. 3.
  • Castañer López, Xesqui. Pinturas y pintores flamencos, holandeses y alemanes en el Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao. Bilbao, Fundación Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa, 1995. pp. 191-193, n° cat. 69. (Con el título Retrato de María de Medici y atribuida a Frans Pourbus)
  • Sánchez-Lassa de los Santos, Ana. Flandestarrak Bilboko Arte Eder Museoan = Flamencos en el Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao [Folleto]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2000. p. 12, n° cat. 10.
  • Zugaza, Miguel ... [et al.]. Maestros antiguos y modernos en las colecciones del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2001. pp. 96-97.
  • Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 47.
  • Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 47.
  • Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 47.
  • La obra maestra desconocida : basado en el relato Le Chef-d'Oeuvre inconnu de Honoré de Balzac, 1831-2006, 175 aniversario [Cat. exp.]. Vitoria-Gasteiz, Artium, Arte Garaikideko Euskal Zentro-Museoa = Centro-Museo Vasco de Arte Contemporáneo, 2006. p. 52.
  • Ducos, Blaise. "Frans Pourbus Gazteak egindako Maria Medicikoaren erretratua edo Habsburgotarren tentazioa Frantziako gortean = El Retrato de doña María de Médicis por Frans Pourbus el Joven o la tentación habsburguesa en la corte de Francia = The Portrait of doña Maria de' Medici by Frans Pourbus the Younger or, the Habsburg temptation at the French court”", B'09 : Buletina = Boletín = Bulletin, n° 5. 2010. pp. 109-137.
  • Kazerouni, Guillaume. "Frans Pourbus le jeune : Portrait de Marie de Médicis", Dossier de l'Art, n° 207. 2013. p. 23, il.
  • Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2011. p. 47, n° cat. 32.
  • Bustreo, Federica. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bilbao : maîtres anciens et première moitié du XX siècle. Florencia, Scala Group, 2011. pp. 42-43.
  • Ducos, Blaise. Frans Pourbus le jeune 1569-1622 : Le portrait d'apparat à l'aube du Grand siècle entre Habsbourg, Médicis et Bourbons. Dijon (France), Éditions Faton, 2011. pp. 90-91, 214-215.
  • Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa : gida. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2012. p. 47, n° cat. 32.
  • L'Automne de la Renaissance : d'Arcimboldo à Caravage [Cat. exp.]. Paris, Somogy, 2013. pp. 84-85, n° cat. 14.
  • Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. p. 47.
  • Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. p. 47.
  • Arrizabalaga Salgado, Victor. Entre lo visible y lo invisible : el coleccionismo de arte en Bizkaia y Álava durante el siglo XX. Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia = Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, 2016. pp. 202-204, il.
  • Maestros : Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao . Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2016. pp. 46-47, il.
  • Maisuak : Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2016. pp. 46-47, il.
  • Masters : Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2016. pp. 46-47, il.
  • Maîtres : Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bilbao. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2016. pp. 46-47, il.
  • 110 Años 110 Obras [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 86-87, sin n° cat.
  • 110 Ans 110 Oeuvres [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 86-87, sin n° cat.
  • 110 Urte 110 Artelan [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 86-87, sin n° cat.
  • 110 Years 110 Works [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 86-87, sin n° cat.
  • Bilboko Museoaren alfabetoa = El alfabeto del Museo de Bilbao = The alphabet of the Bilbao Museum = L'alphabet du Musée de Bilbao [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 268, 269, n° cat. 154.