From the French galerie to the Italian garden: Sixteenth-century displays of Primaticcio’s bronzes at Fontainebleau

bensoussan, nicole;

In the 1540s, Francesco Primaticcio created a group of large-scale bronze statues for the French king, François I. These statues were copied after famous marble antiques in Roman collections, especially the Belvedere statue court. The display history of the bronzes at Fontainebleau follows a complex trajectory of diffusion of Italian, all’antica artistic norms in sixteenth-century France. This study explores the adaptability of these sculptural copies and their role in the development of a critical culture of art in early modern France. Initially, the bronzes were installed indoors, reflecting the exclusive viewing environment of François’ court ambit. Later, the bronzes were placed in the garden and in architectural niches in a setting
more reminiscent of Italian precedents. It is suggested that the outdoor placement occasioned a shift in the reception of the bronzes, and of Fontainebleau as a whole, into a ‘new Rome’ that now offered forth its artistic treasures to artists in training and casual visitors.