Renata of Lorraine (1544–1602) duchesse of Lorraine and Bavaria.
Renata of Lorraine of the House of Lorraine and Duchess of Bavaria (1544–1602).
Duchesse of Lorraine and Bavaria.
Black pencil and red chalk.
This is Renée de Lorraine, daughter of the Duke of Lorraine François I” and Christine of Danemarck. She was born on 20 April 1544, as the second of three siblings, the eldest being Charles and the youngest Dorothea. When she was barely a year old, her father died and her mother became regent of Lorraine during her brother’s minority. She received a good education and was described as a beauty and a desirable mate.
Her paternal grandparents were Duke Anthony of Lorraine and Renata of Bourbon, and her maternal grandparents were King Christian II of Denmark and the Archduchess and Infanta Isabella of Austria, making her the great-granddaughter of King Joan I of Castile and King Philip the Fair, and therefore the great-great-granddaughter of the Catholic Monarchs, as well as the great-grandniece of Emperor Charles V.
Tournament of Chivalry at the Wedding of the Bavarian Elector to Renata of Lorraine by Nicolaus Solis. Munich 1568.
On 22 February 1568 she married William V, Duke of Bavaria. The wedding was celebrated with an unusually large expenditure for this century. The celebration lasted 18 days, about 5000 horsemen took part, and the festive music for the occasion was composed especially by Orlando di Lasso. Otherwise, however, Renata – together with her husband when he became duke – led a life of charity, modesty and love for her neighbour. Renata cared for the sick, the poor and pilgrims. She was completely absorbed in this task after the abdication of her husband.She died on 23 March 1602. She was the sister of Charles II, Duke of Lorraine, who was raised at the French court (see Crayons du Musée Condé, PLANCHE LXXIII).
This portrait, probably executed at the French court, dates from around 1560. The Uffizi Museum in Florence has a copy (no. 14.912). There is another in the collection of Mr Pierpont Morgan, which appeared at the Bibliothèque Nationale exhibition in 1907 (not catalogued).
La Duchesse de bavieres de lorreyne
Crayon noir et sanguine.
C’est Renée de Lorraine, fille du duc de Lorraine François I” et de Christine de Danemarck. Elle naquit le 20 avril 1544. Elle épousa, le 22 février 1568, GuillaumeV, duc de Bavière. Elle mourut le 23 mars 1602. C’était la sœur de Charles II, duc de Lorraine, qui fut élevé à la cour de France (voir Crayons du Musée Condé, PLANCHE LXXIII).
Ce portrait, exécuté probablement à la cour de France, date de 1560 environ. Le Musée des Offices de Florence en possède une copie (n° 14.912). Il en existe une autre dans la collection de M. Pierpont Morgan, qui a figuré à l’exposition de la Bibliothèque Nationale, en 1907 (non cataloguée).
Source: Le Portrait à la cour des Valois; crayons français du XVIe siècle, conservés au Musée Condé à Chantilly: par Etienne Moreau-Nélaton (1859-1927); Musée Condé. Paris, Librairie centrale des beaux-arts, 1908.
