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| Anonymous painter working in France The Nymph of Fontainebleau ca. 1650-75 oil on panel Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
Translation of painted Latin inscription below the tableau – O Phidias, O Apelles, could anything more excellent have been devised in your times than that sculpture, of which you see here a picture, that Francis I, king of the Franks, the most mighty father of fine arts and literature, left unfinished in his home, surrounding a figure of Diana resting from the chase and emptying the urn of the Fountain of Beautiful Water.
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| Master of Flora Birth of Cupid ca. 1550-1600 oil on panel Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"This painting appears to depict the birth of Cupid, with attendants ministering to his mother, Venus. The lively, decorative composition is typical of French artists working in the style developed by the Italians at the château de Fontainebleau, such as Rosso Fiorentino of Florence and Primaticcio and Niccolò dell'Abate of Bologna."
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| Anonymous craftspeople working in France Carved Panel with Salamander ca. 1520-40 oak Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"The crown, initial F, and salamander engulfed in flames are emblematic of François I, who reigned from 1515 to 1547. Considered impervious to fire, the salamander symbolized the king's constancy and integrity as a ruler."
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| attributed to Guillaume Dupré Gondola Cup ca. 1600-1625 lead-glazed earthenware Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| attributed to Guillaume Dupré Gondola Cup ca. 1600-1625 lead-glazed earthenware Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"This polychrome-glazed earthenware "gondola" cup was probably modeled by Guillaume Dupré, following the sculptural style of Bernard Palissy. The design and spirit of the "gondola," a contemporary term for this ceramic type of a woman in a bath, suggest it was intended to be decorative rather than utilitarian. Employing Palissy's saturated color glazes, textured waves, and shell-like lobes, the piece also hints at the erotic nature of court art through its high-relief rendering of the nude female figure. The partly submerged woman personifying a spring was a popular theme at the court of Fontainebleau, itself named after a local water source, which numerous potters imitating Palissy's style in the nearby village of Avon frequently employed. Palissy himself, known principally for his innovative rustic ceramics, demonstrated an interest in this motif through his numerous works bearing representations of water. In the first decades of the seventeenth century, "gondola" cups were also made in silver, silver gilt, crystal, enamel, and natural shell."
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| Anonymous French artisans Gondola Cup with Venus and Adonis ca. 1600-1625 lead-glazed earthenware Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Anonymous French artisans Gondola Cup with Venus and Adonis ca. 1600-1625 lead-glazed earthenware Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Anonymous artisans working in France Andirons in the form of Female and Male Herms ca. 1540-45 bronze Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
"The fantastic composite figures, decorative strapwork, and salamanders (an emblem of François I, king of France) atop both urns suggest that the sculptures were designed for the king's château at Fontainebleau. The two nude figures may have been meant to represent opposed qualities: the female nymph is a symbol of water and earth, while the male satyr symbolizes fire and air. The fully modeled figures stand in contrapposto poses, turning slightly towards each other. These fantastic creatures grow out of acanthus leaves; their feet are talons that rest on a base made of grotesque heads. Above their heads each figure holds an oval vase decorated with rams' skulls and elegantly knotted cloth swags. The vases in turn support salamanders that twist and playfully grasp the streaming ribbons."
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| Anonymous goldsmith working in France Hercules Pendant enameled gold, baroque pearl ca. 1540 Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
"This type of jewel was worn as a pendant, suspended from a chain around the neck or pinned to the sleeve of a garment. Depicting Hercules raising the pillars at Cadiz, this pendant was presumably made for a man, with the wearer reflecting the symbolic qualities of physical strength and courage of its subject. According to different accounts, Hercules either raised two mountains as monuments to his progress or split one mountain in two, forming the Straits of Gibraltar to discourage sea monsters from entering the Mediterranean. Rarely portrayed, this subject was a favorite of the French king François I. The style of this pendant is especially close to that of artists working for François at his palace of Fontainebleau, particularly Benvenuto Cellini, the most prominent goldsmith there. Its unusual subject, sumptuous material, and exquisite workmanship support the idea that this jewel was a royal commission."
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| Giorgio Ghisi after Francesco Primaticcio Pluto, Neptune, Minerva and Apollo (after ceiling fresco in the Galerie d'Ulisse at Fontainebleau) ca. 1560-70 engraving Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Giorgio Ghisi after Francesco Primaticcio Hercules, Bacchus, Pan and Saturn (after ceiling fresco in the Galerie d'Ulisse at Fontainebleau) ca. 1560-70 engraving Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Giorgio Ghisi after Francesco Primaticcio Apollo and Pan, with putto blowing horn (after ceiling fresco in the Galerie d'Ulisse at Fontainebleau) ca. 1560-70 engraving Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"This engraving depicting the contest between Pan and Apollo is based on one of four frescoes – the other three represent groups of Muses – that surrounded a central depiction of Venus and the Fates on the vault of the Galerie d'Ulisse at Fontainebleau. Given the planetary symbolism of the ceiling, known today only through descriptions, prints, and drawings, it seems likely that the music-making here is associated with the harmonies of the cosmos."
The Galerie d'Ulisse, along with all its Renaissance murals and decorations, was deliberately demolished – and nothing saved – in 1738-39 after the Fontainebleau style had gone out of fashion and the palace was thought to need remodeling for Louis XV.
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| Anonymous French printmaker after Francesco Primaticcio Cadmus building Thebes ca. 1542-45 etching Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Anonymous French printmaker after Giulio Romano Contest between Apollo and Marsyas ca. 1543 etching Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
– quoted texts are from curator's notes at the Metropolitan Museum and the Getty