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Valois Court Tapestries

Type Object Region France Time c. 1541–1550

Large brocade tapestries commissioned by the French Valois court in the first half of the 16th century, combining Fontainebleau School painting with …

Timeline

  1. c. 1541–1545Palace of Fontainebleau · FontainebleauIn the early 1540s Henry II continued the tradition of Francis I, commissioning Flemish and French weavers at Fontainebleau to produce large narrative tapestries combining classical mythology, hunting, and dynastic symbols, forming an iconic court decorative system.
  2. c. 1546–1550Paris–Fontainebleau court · Île-de-FranceBetween 1546 and 1550, Valois tapestries were widely used not only for palace decoration but also as valuable gifts in marriage alliances, treaties, and investiture ceremonies, spreading French royal authority and Renaissance aesthetics to European courts through woven imagery.

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