European Identities and Transcultural Exchange

In his grotto and garden concepts, Bernard Palissy (1510–1590) developed the veristic "style rustique". It reflects the upheavals that transformed Renaissance Europe, particularly in the fields of religion and science.

Juliette Ferdinand addresses all of Palissy's areas of interest, including ceramics, garden art, and natural philosophy. She sheds light on his demand for a reform of science and religion that should be guided by a return to the origins of nature and scripture. Beyond the astonishment that their appearance still arouses in the viewer, it is the complexity and richness of an era that the "rustic figulines" testify to.

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Formatosi nella Firenze della bottega di Giambologna e Pietro Francavilla, Francesco Bordoni (1574–1654), fu attivo tra la Toscana dei Medici e la Francia dei Borbone, dove divenne primo scultore di Luigi XIII. Figura chiave della mobilità artistica nell’Europa moderna, lavorò a imprese artistiche di primaria importanza, dal monumento equestre del Pont-Neuf, all'arredo scultoreo dei giardini palatini di Fontainebleau e Saint-Germain-en-Laye, fino alla Cappella della Trinità di Fontainebleau. Grazie a questo studio se ne distinguono con contorni chiari il ruolo nei cantieri dei suoi grandi mecenati, la collaborazione con maestri francesi e italiani- come gli ingegneri Francini- e la sua attività di commercio di marmi e opere dall'Italia. Il libro apre nuove prospettive non solo sul percorso artistico di Bordoni, ma anche sul più ampio piano delle pratiche, delle reti di rapporti (i résaux) e dei committenti, nonché sull’evoluzione dello status degli artisti fra Cinque e Seicento.

Trained in Giambologna’s Florence, Francesco Bordoni (1574–1654) was active between Medicean Tuscany and France, where he became first sculptor to the Bourbon dynasty. He worked on major royal commissions – from the equestrian monument on the Pont-Neuf to the sculpture in the gardens at Fontainebleau and Saint-Germain-en-Laye – and imported marble and artworks from Italy. This book reconstructs his career, exploring the changing status of artists, his role in royal building sites, and collaborations with French and Italian masters, including the Francini engineers. Through archival research and critical readings of works and context, the study opens new perspectives not only on Bordoni – a key figure in early modern artistic mobility – but also on artistic practices, networks, and patrons connecting Florence and Paris.

• A central figure in artistic exchange in the Early Modern period
• An artist who epitomizes the excellence fostered by the Medici court

Souvent associés au monde médiéval, les tournois faisaient pourtant toujours partie des fêtes les plus riches et impressionnantes des cours du XVIe siècle, en particulier en France. Rituels chevaleresques traditionnels et spectacles grandioses, les meilleurs artistes et artisans de la cour y étaient sollicités pour en concevoir les décors, les armures, les costumes, la musique ou encore les textes. Pour la première fois, la présente publication explore la nature, les enjeux et les évolutions des tournois royaux français, depuis le règne de Charles VIII jusqu’aux premières années de celui de Louis XIII. Faisant usage de toutes les sources disponibles, tant textuelles et archivistiques qu’artistiques, cette étude rapporte l’image vibrante de ces spectaculaires évènements alors au centre de la vie curiale française.

• Première étude détaillée à grande échelle sur le sujet
• Approche interdisciplinaire explorant tout autant les aspects matériels, artistiques, sociaux et historiques de ces évènements
• Evocation vivante de spectacles parmi les plus impressionnants et élaborés des fêtes de cour de la Renaissance en Europe

Often associated with the mediaeval world, tournaments were still an important part of courtly life during the Renaissance, being among the most lavish and impressive public royal celebrations of their time, especially in France. Beyond the traditional chivalric ritual, bringing together nobility and monarchy in a carefully crafted spectacle, the best court artists and craftsmen were called upon to create sets, armor, costumes, or even texts and music for such events. This publication offers a first exploration of the nature and evolution of French royal tournaments, from Charles VIII to the first years of Louis XIII’s reign. Using all the textual, archival and artistic sources available, this study provides a vivid picture of those lavish, spectacular performances that were once a focal point of French courtly life.

• First thorough, large-scale study on tournaments
• Interdisciplinary approach exploring material, artistic, social and historical aspects of such events
• Vivid evocation of what were once among the most impressive and elaborate courtly spectacles in Renaissance Europe

The theme of the book is the interpretation of Italian Renaissance art by French artists as of the final decades of the 18th century. In particular, the book examines the origins of the historiographical myth of Tuscan Quattrocento architecture and art and how this myth took shape and spread thanks to the gaze of French travelers, philosophers, scholars, artists, and, more specifically, architects. The book also analyzes the genesis and evolution of architects’ travels in Tuscany as well as the ingenious, and innovative practice of tracing the original drawings of Renaissance architects. Finally, it addresses the French architects’ disposition toward promoting an Italian Neo-Renaissance architectural language, in Europe and beyond, thus responding to values endorsed by the bourgeoisie of the 19th century.

Cet ouvrage s'intéresse à l'interprétation de la Renaissance italienne par les artistes français depuis la fin du XVIIIe siècle. L'accent est mis sur les origines du mythe historiographique de l'architecture et de l'art du Quattrocento toscan, et sur la manière dont ce mythe a pris forme et s'est répandu grâce au regard des voyageurs, philosophes, érudits, artistes et surtout architectes français. L'auteur analyse la genèse et le développement des voyages en Toscane des architectes ainsi que la pratique innovante de la copie des dessins originaux d'architecture de la Renaissance. Il examine également la tendance des architectes français à promouvoir un langage architectural de la néo-renaissance italienne, inspiré des valeurs défendues par la bourgeoisie du XIXe siècle.

The Medici Oriental Press (1584–1614) occupied a special position among Roman workshops—supported by Pope Gregory XIII and financed by Ferdinando de’Medici, it produced books in Arabic and Chaldean that were supposed to satisfy both scholarly and missionary requirements. This study assesses the extensive accounting documents that have been preserved with respect to the question of how the Medici Oriental Press positioned itself in the network of European printing houses and the international book market. Based on the example of the Gospels in Arabic and Arabic-Latin, it provides insights into the operation and costs of the process of producing books, and into practices for negotiating with the pontifical censorship authorities, book agents, and diplomats.