Treasures of the Louvre Page #4

---

Henri had married the sister of

Charles IX, Marguerite de Valois.

20 years later, the couple

were King and Queen of France.

The last Valois king had

died childless and Henri,

next in line to the throne,

became the first ruler of a new

dynasty, the Bourbons.

But to become Henri IV for all

of France,

and crowned as such in Paris,

a deal needed to be struck.

Henri would have to convert to

Catholicism.

He passed through here,

the Rue St Honore,

which is just opposite the Louvre,

heading for Notre Dame to hear Mass,

and this was

the 22nd of March, 1594.

He did this because, as we know,

to give France peace

and unity, it was worth a Mass.

"Paris vaut bien une messe."

A statue of Henri IV is on the Pont

Neuf, which was itself completed

in his reign, to connect the right

and left banks of the Seine.

But the King was also determined

to make his mark on

the royal palace nearby.

Henri wanted to link the Louvre

to the recently built

palace of the Tuileries nearby.

So to connect the two palaces,

he ordered this built -

the Grande Galerie.

A name was now given to this

grandiose vision of expansion.

Le Grand Dessein, the great plan.

As you can see, it's all

conceived on the grandest scale.

It is half a mile from there to

there, for example.

And the idea was that this is

a place of entertainment

and magnificent spectacle.

You could come here, for example,

to watch the water pageants

on the Seine.

But it's also a mystical space,

a sacred space.

It's where Henri IV and the Bourbon

kings who came after him,

literally believed that they

had the divine touch.

They believed,

most importantly, that they

could cure people

of the disease of scrofula,

which is a really nasty kind of

tuberculosis of the neck.

What would happen is that the

King would receive people,

and say "The King touches you.

God cures you."

Either way, I hope it worked.

Now, there is a clue to Henri's

life and loves in the Louvre.

It's a painting that is not

in one of the main galleries,

where thousands gather to

look at the usual suspects.

But if you find this mysterious

and striking work of art,

you won't be disappointed.

This is Gabrielle d'Estrees

and her sister.

Gabrielle d'Estrees was

the mistress of Henri IV.

As they say, every picture tells a

story. Have a look at the gestures.

Gabrielle's sister is holding her

nipple between thumb

and finger, to indicate that she

is pregnant with the King's son,

the future Duc de Vendome.

Gabrielle is also holding

a bejewelled hand of gold.

It's not worn on her finger

to symbolise a marriage,

but it is thought to be

the King's coronation ring,

a token of his love and his loyalty.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes