Memorializing the Wars of Religion in Early Seventeenth-Century French Picture Galleries

Protestants and Catholics Painting the Contested Past

Bibliographic Data

ID10419376
AuthorsDavid Van Der Linden (0000-0002-7050-1818, University of Groningen, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume70
Issue1
Pages132-178
Publication date2017-03-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRenaissance Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0034-4338 • E-ISSN: 1935-0236
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/691832
OpenAlexW2590660735
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited33

This article examines how Protestant and Catholic elites in early seventeenth-century France memorialized the Wars of Religion in purpose-built picture galleries. Postwar France remained a divided nation, and portrait galleries offered a sectarian memory of the conflict, glorifying party heroes. Historical picture galleries, on the other hand, promoted a shared memory of the wars, focusing on King Henry IV’s successful campaign against the Catholic League to unite the kingdom. This article argues that postwar elites made a sincere effort to manage religious tensions by allowing partisan memories to circulate in private while promoting a consensual memory in public

Ancient history · Art · Art history · Early Modern Europe · League · Painting · Political science · Portrait · Protestantism · Historical Art and Culture Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Law · Philosophy · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity · Religious studies · Religious Studies

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