CARON, Antoine

Caron, who was Catherine de Medicis’ official artist and whose paintings often seem to echo the royal fêtes, shows here the Emperor Augustus on his knees in front of the Sibyl, who gestures towards the Virgin and Child in the heavens. The architectural setting, reminiscent of theatre decor, shows the Seine and possibly certain monuments of Paris modified by the artist’s imagination on the right-hand side.

In 1571 a dramatic solar eclipse occurred: this event probably served as the subject of this painting by Antoine Caron. He painted it at the court of Catherine de’ Medici, queen of France, who, like many rulers of the time, was extremely superstitious and fascinated by astronomical phenomena, often seeing eclipses and natural disasters as foreboding omens.

In the painting, astronomers gather in a town square beneath the shadowed sun. A bearded Greek philosopher in the foreground looks at the sky and points to an armillary sphere on the ground. Next to him, the central figure, Dionysius the Areopagite, holds a book, points to the sky, and looks at the celestial globe carried by the figure running up the steps at the right. Dionysius preaches the Christian message of salvation to pagan Greek philosophers. A putto, seated on the steps between a square and straight edge, writes on a tablet, recording the event.

In the background on the right, a statue representing Urania, the muse of Astronomy, stands on a twisted column. Near the statue, figures run and point towards the heavens while seeking cover. Above, an ominous red sun glows and lightning streaks the stormy, cloud-filled sky.

Antoine Caron, the court painter of Catherine de Medici, depicts here a court festivity with many kinds of entertainment, including fireworks in the background.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 18 minutes):

Handel: Fireworks Music

Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He was also a Chancellor to Henry VIII, and Lord High Chancellor of England from 1529 to 1532.

More opposed the Protestant Reformation and King Henry VIII’s separation from the Catholic Church, refusing to acknowledge Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England and the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. After refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, he was convicted of treason and executed.

In an imaginary landscape, Caron depicts the massacres perpetrated during the Roman Civil Wars in 43 B.C. by the triumvirs, Marc Antony, Octavian (Augustus), and Lepidus. The painting might allude to the massacres of which the Protestants were victims after 1561.

The bizarre architectural forms are characteristic of Caron’s paintings.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 11 minutes):

Vivaldi: Concerto in F minor RV 297 op. 8 No. 4 (Winter)