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THE LUXEMBOURG GARDENS
An Encounter with Marie de Medicis
by Stephanie Eichenberg
Getting to know Queen Marie de Medicis in
the Luxembourg Gardens is a rewarding experience. Approach from the
left bank via the Rue de Tuornon, and enjoy a pleasant stroll. The
street is lined with boutiques with wares ranging from baby clothes to
incense. The street terminates at the front of the Luxembourg Palace.
After the death of her husband, French King
Henry IV, in 1610, Marie de Medicis commissioned Salomon de Brosse to
design the palace in the familiar style of her family residence in her
native Florence. Enter the gardens to the left of the palace building.
Proceed toward the back of the palace, and look to your left for the
Medicis Fountain, a Baroque style fountain. Marie de Medicis
commissioned the fountain in 1624, architect now unknown.
In the Luxembourg Gardens we can look upon
the visage of Marie de Medicis, daughter of Francesco de Medicis, the
Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Queen of France. Continue from the fountain
back to the right of the octagonal pool and ascend the staircase. Her
statue is on the left toward the tree line.
The sculpture depicts a woman very much in
control. Marie de Medicis looks forward with stern gaze and controlled
coiffure. In her right hand the Queen holds a scepter, a symbol of
power dating back to ancient times. She wears a large ruff with a
flowing cape over her formal gown. The bodice of the gown has a lace
collar, a beaded geometric decorative panel down the center, and ends
in lace trim. The sleeves of her gown are similarly trimmed. Resting on
her bosom, a cross signifies her Christianity. A heavy flowing skirt
completes the ensemble.
In addition to these trappings of wealth,
the sculptor grounds her erect posture by displaying the tip of her
right shoe. This small but important feature firmly establishes that
the figure has legs and is not simply floating in a skirt. Standing
with one foot slightly forward demonstrates the potential for movement
and enlivens the figure.
Were the figure truly alive, Marie de
Medicis might be surprised at the sight before her. She was exiled from
France before the completion of the palace in 1631.
The palace was used as a royal residence up
until the time of the revolution, when it served as a prison for a
short time. The palace took up its final incarnation as home of the
French Senate in 1804. The gardens later opened to the public. Today
the Queen Mother might see a young French family with a stroller and
bicycle walking through the park, or Parisians visiting among the
chairs lining the flowerbeds and pools.
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