Large projects for royal orders

From the early 1620s Rubens was charged with royal orders from France and Spain for large and integrated projects: the Medici series (1622—25), the Constantine series (1622—23), the Henry IV series (1625—28) and the series of the Eucharist (1625-27). The new energy of the High-Baroque must have seemed a very suitable medium with which to express the pursuit of magnificence and self-glorification of absolute monarchs. At the same time a new source of inspiration made its entry into Rubens's art: allegorical personification and typological association with Graeco-Roman mythology enabled the propagandist significance of these compositions to be made even more explicit. The numerous scenes in the Medici series (Paris, Louvre) are the first and perhaps the most striking examples of this propagandist blend of history and myth in Rubens's oeuvre.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 18 minutes):
George Frideric Handel: Fireworks Music