Un exemple d'articulation du féminin et du masculin à travers le mécénat. Les pratiques de Philippe de Gueldre (1467?1547) et d'Antoine de Lorraine (1489?1544)

Abstract

An Example of “Masculine” and “Feminine” in Patronage : The Commissioning Practices of Philippe de Gueldre (1467–1547) and Antoine de Lorraine (1489–1544) Around 1500, the court of the dukes of Lorraine was a space where artistic and cultural trends emanating from Burgundy, Flanders, France, Germany and Italy converged. Ducal patronage encompassed masculine as well as feminine concerns, and two figures held particularly important roles : Philippe of Guelders (1464–1547), duchess of Lorraine and, from 1519, Clarissan religious, and her son Antoine (1489–1544), duke of Lorraine from 1508. The patronage of Philippe of Guelders, both at court and in the convent, sought to legitimate a providentially-empowered principality while conferring a radiant profile on a woman groomed at the courts of France and Burgundy. When examined through a gendered lens, the patronage of the Lorraine can be seen to foster not only the cross-fertilizing of masculine and feminine patronage, but also their differentiation. This article seeks to show how the patronage of Philippe of Guelders, apparently distinct from that of her son, conceals in fact its continuity with that of Duke Antoine. In fact, the patronage of the duke was closely interwoven with that of his mother and, during the 1520s, they together contributed to the political, artistic, cultural and religious transformation of Lorraine, a region then fully engaged in the Renaissance and Reformation movements.