Renaissance Splendor

Catherine de' Medici's Valois Tapestries

Cleland Elizabeth, Wieseman Marjorie E., Griffo Alessandra, Da Zara Costanza Perrone

Featuring detailed scenes of court pageantry and life-size portraits of members of the French Valois dynasty woven in wool, silk, and precious metal-wrapped threads, the Valois Tapestries are one of the most extravagant sets of hangings produced in the 16th century. The precise circumstances surrounding the tapestries' commission and their arrival at the Medici court in Florence, as well as the significance of the specific scenes depicted, however, have eluded scholars for years. Presenting new research into the political maneuvering of the Valois and Medici courts and providing extensive physical analysis gathered during a recent cleaning of the tapestries, this volume offers brand new insight into why these magnificent works were made and what they represent.

About the Author

Elizabeth Cleland is associate curator of European sculpture and decorative arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Marjorie E. Wieseman is Paul J. and Edith Ingalls Vignos Jr. Curator of European Paintings and Sculpture, 1500-1800 at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Alessandra Griffo is curator of 18th-century painting and sculpture at the Gallerie degli Uffizi, Florence.

Costanza Perrone Da Zara is conservator at Restauro Tessile de Beyer e Perrone Da Zara, Florence.

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