The Medici Chapels currently host an exhibition of the funeral panels of King Henry IV. A combination of efforts by the Soprintendeza of Florence, the Medici Chapel museum and the Musée National du Chateau de Pau brought us the new exhibit entitled Parigi Val Bene una Messa! (Paris is Worth a Mass). In 1610, after King Henry IV died, Cosimo II de Medici mourned the death of his relative with a lavish funeral that took place in the Basilica of San Lorenzo. For the occasion, the Basilica was lit by hundreds of candles and decorated with monochrome canvases depicting the most important victories and events in the life of King Henry IV. Now, the 19 remaining chiaroscuro panels have returned to San Lorenzo along with books and drawings relating to the life and times of Henry IV.
Despite the slight aesthetic discord between the exhibit and the setting, Parigi Val Bene una Messa! is legibly displayed with both Italian and English descriptions. Make sure to see the coat of armor worn by the King that could not have been more than 5 feet tall. The exhibition of these historically and artistically significant panels is a lovely and fitting tribute to the 400th anniversary of Henry IV’s death. Although, if you believe the two darling Texan women beside me, the main oversight of this exhibit was forgetting to explain that Henry IV (“hmm… darlin’ that name certainly sounds familiar… important-like”) was, in fact, an “important-like” French monarch. The exhibition ends November 2, 2010.
Christine Williams
Vanderbilt University
Despite the slight aesthetic discord between the exhibit and the setting, Parigi Val Bene una Messa! is legibly displayed with both Italian and English descriptions. Make sure to see the coat of armor worn by the King that could not have been more than 5 feet tall. The exhibition of these historically and artistically significant panels is a lovely and fitting tribute to the 400th anniversary of Henry IV’s death. Although, if you believe the two darling Texan women beside me, the main oversight of this exhibit was forgetting to explain that Henry IV (“hmm… darlin’ that name certainly sounds familiar… important-like”) was, in fact, an “important-like” French monarch. The exhibition ends November 2, 2010.
Christine Williams
Vanderbilt University
