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Linda Briggs, Roman Antiquities in Renaissance France, 1515–1565, French History, Volume 29, Issue 3, September 2015, Pages 392–393, https://doi.org/10.1093/fh/crv040
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Extract
Much has been written about the vogue for classical antiquity in the Renaissance. Too little, however, has concerned sixteenth-century France, with literature on the blossoming of antiquarian taste proving particularly scarce. Cooper seeks to redress this in Roman Antiquities in Renaissance France, 1515–1565 , by drawing together material from disparate fields to illustrate its development during the reigns of François I er and Henri II. At the heart of the book are the collections and tastes of French ambassadors to Italy and their retinues, but this forms part of a wider interdisciplinary exploration of the gradual saturation of French culture with a passion for antiquity, which is manifest in the art, prose and court ceremonials of the period.
The diffusion of classical taste is charted over 9 chapters and supported by 53 handsome illustrations. The first chapter centres on antiquarians’ observations of Rome prior to 1530, their burgeoning collections and evidence from painted and printed works that interest in ancient Rome had already taken root. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on the diplomats and intellectuals who took up residence in Italy in 1530–50 and 1550–60, respectively. Georges d’Armagnac, Andre Thévet and Rabelais each receive attention, but the excavations and building projects of Jean Du Bellay are explored in depth to reveal the Cardinal as the greatest antiquities collector of his generation. Chapter 4 outlines the mounting desire at court to amass impressive collections, while Chapters 5 and 6, respectively, address French artists in Italy in 1530–60 and antiquarian art primarily produced by the École de Fontainebleau to reveal the widespread fashion for classical topography in paintings, engravings and illuminated manuscripts. Chapter 7 delves into the world of Renaissance festivities, providing evidence of the increasing classical influence on decoration and symbolism in triumphal entries and courtly entertainments. The final two chapters concentrate on the antique in prose, chiefly the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and Pantagruel , and in the poetry of Joachim Du Bellay and his imitators. An appendix featuring transcription catalogues of the collections of Jean Du Bellay completes the volume.
