edited by C. Innocenti<\/p>\n
exhibition catalogue: Florence, Palazzo Strozzi, 24 October 2008-8 February 2009<\/p>\n
The myth of Artemisia as the celebration of two modern queens: Caterina and Maria de\u2019 Medici, who left their native city of Florence to become regents of France, are portrayed through the images that helped them legitimate their power. The exhibition (Florence, Palazzo Strozzi, 24 October 2008\u20138 February 2009) revolves around fifteen monumental tapestries that were displayed in enormously successful shows at the Gobelins Gallery in Paris in 2007 and at the Ch\u00e2teau de Chambord in 2008. The tapestry series was inspired by the Histoire de la Royne Arth\u00e9mise, composed in the 1560s by Nicolas Houel to celebrate Queen Caterina de\u2019 Medici, the widow of Henry II of France and regent of the kingdom. Houel\u2019s complex heroine is actually the fusion of two queens of ancient Caria, both of whom named Artemisia. One fought alongside Xerxes in the 5th century BC and the other, who lived a century later, was the widow of King Mausolus and had the famous Mausoleum\u2014considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World\u2014built at Halicarnassus in his honour. Execution of the tapestries, which were commissioned by Henry IV to commemorate his wife Maria, started in 1607, although several changes were made with respect to the original plans. The core of the exhibition is accompanied by a section examining the tastes and personalities of the two queens through paintings and objects tied to them. In addition to priceless goldwork, the exhibition also showcases the talisman that belonged to Caterina (Biblioth\u00e8que Nationale de France, Paris), an autograph letter of Maria with one of her drawings, and a canvas portraying Henry IV and Maria at an outdoor banquet (Mus\u00e9e des Beaux-Arts, Nantes). The exhibition ends with the section entitled \u201cThe Restoration of Artemisia to Myth\u201d, with eight paintings by 17th-century Italian artists, including Francesco Curradi, Cesare Dandini and Domenico Fetti.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2113,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[99],"product_tag":[1529,1289],"class_list":["post-2116","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-catalogues","product_tag-palazzo-strozzi-en","product_tag-the-medici","first","instock","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-variable"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n