Cognac, France — Cognac is known throughout the world for it famous brandy, cognac, but it was also the birthplace of one of the great French kings Francis I (François I) some 530 years ago in the Castle of Cognac. Renaissance man and a great Renaissance monarch he brought the Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci to France, who in turn brought some of his paintings with him to France, notably the Mona Lisa. During his reign the French court would enjoy a level of opulence never seen before. Fortunately the man had taste. Excellent taste. He was fond of making grand entrances on horseback with his six-foot broad-shouldered frame draped in gold cloth studded with diamonds. He put in one of his most memorable appearances during a meeting with his English counterpart Henry VIII near Calais in 1520 to which he wore his celebrated cloth of gold studded with pearls, diamonds and other precious stones while his black velvet hat was decorated with magnificent white plumes and his horse caparisoned in gold. The meeting was regarded as the most spectacular political happening of the century and the summit would go on to become known famously as The Field of the Cloth of Gold.

He also loved traveling around the country to meet his subjects which made him one of France’s more popular monarchs. Crowned in Reims in 1515, at the age of 20, his reign was marked by military errors, defeats and even his own imprisonment in Spain, but what he lost on the battle ground he regained through his patronage of the arts and letters. In addition to bringing Leonardo da Vinci to France to become « First Painter, Engineer and Architect to the King », he also brought in Benvenuto Cellini to Paris as goldsmith and sculptor to the court. He would also launch the construction of the monumental Chambord Palace in the Loire Valley, found the port of Le Havre and send Jacques Cartier off to explore Canada.

And the king’s hometown is currently paying tribute to him, his reign and his links to Cognac in a major exhibition being held in the city’s Museum of Art and History (Le musée d’art et d’histoire de Cognac). Born in Cognac to Jean de Valois-Orléans, the Comte d’Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy, his parents in their time turned Cognac into an intellectual and artistic hotbed. Louise de Savoy had considerable influence over her son, and would ultimately give him the humanistic education that nourished his love of arts and letters. Widowed in 1496, Louise left Cognac in 1498 with her two children, Francis and his sister who would become Marguerite of Navarre, to live in Amboise but they remained close to the city and to the castle which Francis I would embellish, notably with the construction of a wing along the Charente River decorated with his iconic emblem, the salamander. The exhibition enables the visitor to discover the importance of the Court of Cognac from the end of the Middle Ages and the relationship its most famous son, Francis I, retained with it. The show brings together a host of art works on loan from the most prestigious museums and institutions in France including the Louvre, The National Renaissance Museum, the Military Museum, the National Library and Versailles.

The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire is housed in an elegant 19th century manor house that belonged to the Dupuy-d’Angeac family, who were cognac merchants. The permanent collections allow the visitor to have a glimpse of the 19th century lifestyle of this prominent family who were also travelers, archaeologists and collectors. The Francis I exhibition is on until December 1st. La Maison du Négociant- Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, 48 boulevard Denfert-Rochereau 16 100 Cognac. Tel: + 33 (0)5 45 32 07 25.
http://www.les-distillateurs-culturels.fr ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette