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Allegory of Catherine de' Medici as Juno

1573

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

This small enamel plaque is part of a set that presents allegorical portraits of Charles IX and his mother, Queen Catherine de' Medici. On this pendant, Catherine appears as Juno, wife of Jupiter and mother of Mars. She wears a veil and carries a scepter, referring to Juno's role as goddess of marriage and queen of the gods. Behind her chariot pulled by peacocks, a glorious rainbow arches above a peaceful pastoral landscape. Catherine herself probably dictated the plaque's iconography. It appears to celebrate her role in promoting the Peace of Saint Germain, which temporarily ended the Religious Wars in France. Her representation as Juno refers to her success in arranging marriages between her children and foreign heads of states: she recently had negotiated Charles's marriage to Margaret of Austria, a political rival. Small-scale versions of oil paintings, these plaques were designed to hang with other enamels in an intimate room.

Details

  • Title: Allegory of Catherine de' Medici as Juno
  • Creator Lifespan: 1505/1577
  • Creator Nationality: French
  • Date Created: 1573
  • Location Created: Limoges, France
  • Physical Dimensions: w22.9 x h16.8 cm
  • Type: Sculpture
  • Rights: http://www.getty.edu/legal/copyright.html
  • Medium: Polychrome enamel with painted gold highlights on copper and silver

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