Francois Premier - The Rennaisance King 3-26-15

Yesterday we reaped benefit from our Amis du Louvre membership by going to a special exhibition at the Biblioteque Nationale - Francois Mitterand.  Dedicated to Francois Premier, France's equivalent, at least in time and learning, of Henry VIII of England and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.    Quite imposing in stature, nearly 6'6" he towered over most of his subjects. 







His symbol was the salamander, a flaming version appears on some medals and very frequently on buildings which were constructed under his dominion.

He was a man of great learning and accomplishment, he loved and respected Leonardo Di Vinci and brought him to live in France, he wrote music and poetry, he was a warrior (though with decidedly mixed results), he was a builder of some of the great chateaus of the Loire.

During his reign he reacquired many provinces that had fallen away from France, but he also lost his Duchy of Milan and all of his Italian holdings. This is a portrait of Francois painted by Titian







This is another portrait print with a decidedly modern look although done in the 16th Century







He also was instrumental in the founding of what would become the Biblioteque Nationale in that he built a library and required that one copy of every book printed in France be submitted as part of it's collection, very forward thinking for his day.

 I read a biography of Francois probably 20 years ago and came away very impressed. Over the years I've tried to see many of the buildings and sites connected with him so this was mandatory visit for me.  Although I have to confess that it was difficult because I'm almost illiterate in French and most of the exhibit focused on books and text (duh!  Library)