The Consignment of the Regency

Medvedev Dmitriy: http://www.proza.ru/2012/07/23/1304


After the “Birth of the dauphin”, Rubens created a canvas which commemorates the next important event of the life of Marie Medici: “The Consignment of the Regency”. Meaning, the next event, chronologically speaking, was separated from the previous one by a decade. Well, it’s not like one should paint the idleness and lewdness of the queen, which spread over the period. In reality, while Henry put up with the queen and put down a kingdom next door*, dealt with intra-religious conflicts and feudal separatism through creating a unified kingdom etc, Marie had nothing but fun and emptied the treasury. In order to pay the bills of his queen of the heart, who already was at his throat, the husband took up any remotely profitable project. I believe that if at that time, disposal of radioactive waste existed, Henry would’ve taken it up as well. That could make the modern Frenchmen not only historically enriched, but also could make them into better beings.

Marie herself didn’t give a damn about the source of the resources. The only thing she didn’t use widely was conscience, since she didn’t have much to begin with, and the pressure of the pleasures was great. Her input for the treasure summed up by the silver in the king’s hair each time he had to cover unexpected expenses- meaning expenses expected by his wife. There was much to remember and much to leave to history. It’s only the modern man who dreams to live his life in a way to keep Google aware, Youtube unaware and the social networks too busy to discuss, whence for the royal persona such a fate is nothing but a banal reality. All the good that Medici did for France was so well hidden, that she should’ve spared herself the effort of doing it.

To say the truth, she saw enough of Paris to be sick of it, but despite the saying, she didn’t plan to die yet. She was tired of the ever jealous Henrietta, with her foul play and complains, as in “your husband cheats on us”. She tired of the first favorite Concini, who was on the receiving end of her increasing hysterics, while holding his “Faberges” in her purse- morally speaking. The second lover wasn’t better than the other, although he could amount in his pants, where it counts. Frankly, Marie was far from being glad about the man she gave a vow in a church to bed, but then again, the spousal relations were mutual. The king already had a number with a favorite going by a number, because he didn’t want it to count. I think that with the rise of a fashion to pray to an old happy wizard, the December query of dear Mary became something of this sort:
“Cher Pere Noel, what I want for Christmas is a new husband, and you can use my old husband as an ass- he sure makes one of himself.” **

Rubens dropped those details, depicting only what matters and at the same time stays proper for Marie to count as an achievement. At the picture “The Consignment of the Regency” the king gives the queen a globe of France (which didn’t get the best deal around), and the young crown prince watches the symbol of power passing him by. It seems that the nannies, Generosity and Reason, which stand by Marie, don’t let him make a fuss on such a standing. Or maybe it was because the prince learned during his infancy that no matter how much you cry about your rights, you’ll end up being silenced with a pacifier.

After being intimidated by the advisors on the previous painting, Rubens practically avoids the use of symbolic imagery on this canvas, settling for those with a single clear meaning. Saying, a glorious warlord and strategist goes to the next war, and his loyal beautiful wife stays to watch the court. But if in Henrys’ case the epithets don’t sound sarcastic, Marie had as much to do with the above as guinea pigs have to do with Guinea, or pigs. Adding to that, the author didn’t take the risk of adding the usual details of mythical characters or half-naked bodies. As the saying goes, if one gets himself burned with milk, he blows on the breasts.

After adding the last stranger dog to the regent's camp***, Rubens breathed a sigh of relief, and it wasn't due to the perfect way the pooch fit on Maria's dress. The main reason for the masters' relief was that half the work was done, and half the paid fee was yet to be spent. But by the end of the work, Maugis and Richelieu have a new surprise for the artist, modifying the initial plans of the painting placement. According to the new idea****, the canvases now have to follow both walls of the Luxembourgh Palace, showing the full storyline clockwise (same order was later kept in the Louvre).

Through simple calculation, Peter Paul assessed that the last hall needs to have only three of his masterpieces switched, and that the designated hall is surprisingly big. There isn’t much to do- the images were intended for large-scale canvases, by doing so creating an extra-large triptych. Rubens had even more “fun” when two of the hanging images blocked the doors. Holding his heart together by the not-yet-invented paper stapler, he had to make cuts on the canvas, the results of which can be seen by this very day. 


* The colonization of Brazil and Canada.
** Pere Noel- from the beginning of the 17th century, the equivalent of Grandpa Christmas in France, but instead of reindeer he has a donkey and wears wooden shoes.
*** "Stranger in Camp" another painting from Cassius Coolidge, the man who painted "dogs playing poker".
**** Initially the plan was to cover one side with paintings about the life of Marie de Medici, while the other side praised her husband at the same chronological pattern. Afterwards, it was planned to place the paintings of Henrys’ life separately, in another wing. As a result, Rubens didn’t finish that cycle.