How the Louvre Began in Amboise

Château Clos Lucé, Amboise

When Francis I appointed Leonardo da Vinci Premier Painter, Architect and Engineer to the Court of France the event heralded the beginning of the most famous art gallery in the world.

To have his hero near him at all times, Francis gave Leonardo the lovely old manor of Cloux (now Château Clos Lucé) which was within walking distance of Château Amboise.

The king must surely have nearly fainted when his honoured guest unpacked. It beggars belief but among Leonardo’s belongings lugged over the Alps were his paintings of the Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist. The masterpieces formed the nucleus of the Louvre collection.

Leonardo’s studio, Château Clos Lucé, Amboise

It’s not too fanciful to say that Close Lucé was France’s first public art gallery. So many flocked to see the famous artist and his paintings, Leonardo had to restrict the public to Open Days.

The strangely composed, awkward looking Virgin Mary perched precariously on her mother’s lap was commissioned by Louis XII (cousin of and predecessor of Francis) as a present for his wife whose name was Anne (Anne of Brittany). Her patron saint was Saint Anne. Louis, like so many of Leonardo’s patrons, died before it was finished so never saw it.

The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne

Florimond Robertet, Treasurer of France to Louis XII, commissioned Leonardo to paint a Madonna for him (Madonna of the Yard Winder). He was one of Leonardo’s few lucky patrons. The finished painting was delivered to him at Château Blois in 1507.

Francis was a fan of Leonardo long before he met him in person.

It was with Charles VIII, who was born and brought up in Château Amboise, that French royalty became obsessed with the Italian Renaissance in general and with Leonardo in particular.

When Charles was in Pavia, Ludovico Sforza moved his Court from Milan to welcome him. With Ludovico was Leonardo, his Court Painter, genius in residence.

Leonardo painted the portrait of Ludovico’s mistress, Cecilia Gallerani, which became known as Lady with an Ermine. Ermine tails were the heraldic device of Charles wife, Anne of Brittany (when he died in a tragic accident she married his cousin Louis).

Lady with an Ermine may once have hung on the walls of Château Amboise. An inventory taken when Anne lived there listed a painting A Lady at the Court of Milan which of course Cecilia Gallerani was.

Francis heard about Leonardo’s The Last Supper from Louis XII, who appointed Leonardo Court Painter. Louis took Leonardo’s astonishing portrait of Lucrezia Crivelli from Sforza’s palace as spoils of war. It’s thought to have been seen in Château Amboise, Château Clos Lucé and Château Blois. Leonardo may have begun the now heavily disputed Salvatore Mundi thought to be commissioned by Louis XII.

The art collected by Francis is breathtaking. Many of the masterpieces he owned are now in the Louvre. Ancient manuscripts from all over the world; miniatures; medals; tapestries; precious stones; printed books; works by Andrea del Sarto, della Robbia and his Court Painters Jean Bourdichon, Jean Fouquet and Jean Clouet; works by Raphael, Titian, Perugino, Benvenuto Cellini, Michelangelo and Primaticcio.

Raphael painted The Holy Family of Francis I commissioned by Pope Leo X to congratulate Queen Claude. The angel scattering flowers represented the birth of the Dauphin at Château Amboise. When news of his birth reached Rome the pope’s nephew Lorenzo de’ Medici left Italy to represent him as the baby’s godfather at the Dauphin’s baptism in the Château.

Raphael’s Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan was the Pope’s thank you to Francis for allowing Lorenzo to marry into the French royal family. He married the King’s cousin, Madeleine de la Tour d’Auvergne.

Francis I, Titian

Francis also owned: Raphael’s La Belle Jardinière; Michelangelo statue of Hercules; Leonardo’s Virgin of the Rocks and his portrait by Titian. Shown wearing a laurel wreath, it is one of the most famous images of Francis. The portrait is a profile because Titian copied a medal engraved by Benvenuto Cellini in Fontainebleau.

Francis could only see a pile of ruins before being inspired to build one of his Renaissance palaces. He did it with Chambord, with Fontainebleau and with the Louvre. When Francis moved into the Louvre he took Leonardo’s Mona Lisa with him.

In 1793, during the French Revolution, The National Assembly opened the Louvre to the public to show the five hundred and thirty-seven paintings confiscated from the royal house of France and the nobility. First among equals were those owned by Francis I.

Today, the Louvre's biggest draw is a twenty-one by thirty inches icon, the Mona Lisa. Leonardo would not be in the least surprised. Everything he did was to ensure his own immortality.

Post by Pamela, photography by Mark.