A Painting, a Poem, and a Controversy about Women and Love in Paris in the 1530s
Two anonymous and little known works of art from sixteenth-century France, a poem of 1545, "Les Obsèques d'Amour," and a somewhat later painting now in the Louvre, Les Funérailles de l'amour, have in common their portrayal of the funeral of Cupid, the god of love, a theme otherwi...
| Authors: | ; |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sixteenth Century Journal Publishers, Inc.
2003
|
| In: |
The sixteenth century journal
Year: 2003, Volume: 34, Issue: 3, Pages: 635-652 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
|
| Summary: | Two anonymous and little known works of art from sixteenth-century France, a poem of 1545, "Les Obsèques d'Amour," and a somewhat later painting now in the Louvre, Les Funérailles de l'amour, have in common their portrayal of the funeral of Cupid, the god of love, a theme otherwise unknown at the time and one which has resisted modern attempts to explain its meaning. This article proposes that in both cases Cupid's burial is a metaphor for the rejection of carnal love by a group of Parisian women then charged with sexual immorality and that the painting is derived from the poem. The accusation and the assertion of innocence formed part of a controversy that extended back to 1529 and involved both prominent Parisian poets and wives of officials at the court of François I. Thus, far from being exercises in mythological fantasy, the poem and the painting reflect mundane conflict in contemporary Parisian society and are potentially important sources for the literary world and feminist debate. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2326-0726 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The sixteenth century journal
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/20061527 |