The Сrusade of François De Guise. Parisian Residence in the Representation of the House of Lorraine

The Hôtel de Guise, the Paris residence of the younger branch of the House of Lorraine, was conceived as a politically significant place. The mansion also played an important role in the public image of its owner, Duke Francis de Guise. The article is devoted to the analysis of the role of the Adoration of the Magi in the representation of the Guise. This subject was represented in the painting of the chapel of the Hôtel de Guise, an unpreserved work by Niccolo dell’Abbate, designed by Francesco Primaticcio. The Adoration of the Magi is a popular plot in European religious art of the 15th – 16th centuries. This story in the representation of noble houses made it possible to combine the demonstration of piety with political meanings. Unlike Italian and German art, in France this plot is much less common. The more interesting is the image of Duke François de Guise in the image of the King. François de Guise was presented as the embodiment of military prowess and Christian piety. It corresponded to the public image of Duke and the religious policy of the French court of the mid-16th century.