Magnificence and Issues of Power in 17th Century
Résumé
Magnificence, from virtue that it was for Aristotle, which inspired generous deeds for the common good, became, in the seventeenth century, an imperative for a whole set of men and women across Europe: the aristocrats. Whether in Paris, Versailles, or Rome, the courts gave themselves to be seen and admired by ostensible expenses and acts displaying this magnificence, whether through the commissioning of spectacles, the construction of palaces or by sending precious gifts. We will focus here on the combined action of Flavio Orsini, Duke of Bracciano, the main representative of the Francophile party in Rome, and his wife, Marie-Anne de La Trémoille, known to posterity as Princess des Ursins. Through the mechanics of spending promoted at the level of a true ethic, the Franco-Roman magnificence they advocated was an effective form of action, aesthetically, politically and socially. The aim was to exhibit, under the apparent gratuitousness of the sumptuary expenditures, the pre-eminence of a family, that of the Orsini, who had for a long time supported the crown of France. By setting side by side the action of the Duke of Bracciano and that of his wife, we shall consider the means that were put in place to implement this magnificence as well as the strategy used to bring it to a successful conclusion. We shall explore in particular the artistic performances they organized, meant to shape their aesthetic and social image and to achieve a single goal: to gather around them, in their homes, renowned artists along with a huge number of spectators in order to promote the political sympathies of the family.
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