Patronnes et mécènes au c?ur de la Renaissance française

Abstract

This article proposes an overview of the patronage of some of the great ladies of rank who, at the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth centuries, gravitated around the fulcrum of power in France. “Honest” or “dishonest” (to use the terms then invoked), these women instigated an impressive number of recognized masterpieces in virtually every medium (painting, sculpture, architecture and more), from the Moulins Triptych, to the castle of Anet, to “the greatest building project of the sixteenth century”, the Tuileries. Moreover, a number of distinguished writings on architecture, including the Plus Excellents Bastiments de France by Du Cerceau, were directed at female dedicatees. In the manner of the works propelled by men, those created at the behest of women patrons prove to be inflected by power struggles, dynastic rivalries, political alliances, family ties and friendships ; however, the eyes of these “patronnes” were often riveted on the experiences and achievements of their female peers.