Homage to Catherine: many initiatives at Palazzo Medici Riccardi to celebrate the duchessine de' Medici

On the occasion of theanniversary of the birth of Duchess Catherine de’ Medici, which occurred on April 13, 1519, the MetropolitanCity of Florence, the UNESCO Office of the City of Florence and MUS.E are offering the public a rich program of initiatives.

From April 13 to May 21, 2019, the exhibition entitled Homage to Catherine will be open to visitors, and various events will be organized to highlight the connection that Catherine de’ Medici had with the family palace, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, during her childhood and youth until her move to France in 1533.
Thus, Palazzo Medici Riccardi will display the painting Marriage of Catherine de’ Medici with Henry II of France, painted by Jacopo Chimenti da Empoli and kindly loaned by the Uffizi Galleries, as well as documents and texts on Catherine’s childhood from the Biblioteca Moreniana and portraits of Cosimo I, Francesco I and Ferdinando I de’ Medici by Anastagio Fontebuoni.

Also on Saturday, April 13 at 4:30 p.m. is the conference Caterina de’ Medici. Portrait of a Queen as a Young Woman, given by Marcello Simonetta, renowned scholar and author of the recent monograph on Caterina de’ Medici. The scholar will recall Catherine’s childhood between Palazzo Medici and the convent of the Murate, in the tumultuous years of the early 16th century in Florence, and then her adolescence in Rome, up to her marriage in Marseille and life in the court of Francis I and her husband, the future Henry II.

At 6 p.m., a trio of musicians will perform Dolcissimi legami, a refined program of music by European composers from the second half of the 16th century through the first half of the following century. The concert will be performed by Zephyr and Music, an ensemble dedicated to the study and dissemination of dance, music, literature and visual arts from the 15th to the 18th century.

For Sunday, April 14, instead, guided tours of the palace will be provided to allow the public to learn about the history of the building, the childhood of Catherine and the scions Ippolito and Alessandro, with whom she shared her early years divided between Florence and Rome.

Participation in the lecture and concert is free (museum admission is excluded), while admission to the exhibition Homage to Caterina will be 10 euros, reduced 6 euros for 18-25 year olds and university students. Free for children under 18. Included is access to the museum and the HEROES Bowie by Sukita exhibition.

Image: Jacopo Chimenti da Empoli, Marriage of Catherine de’ Medici to Henry II of France (c. 1600; Florence, Uffizi Galleries)

Homage to Catherine: many initiatives at Palazzo Medici Riccardi to celebrate the duchessine de' Medici

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