The Life of Marie de Medicis, Queen of France, Consort of Henri IV, and Regent of the Kingdom under Louis XIII — Volume 1 — John Shaqi
The Life of Marie de Medicis, Queen of France, Consort of Henri IV, and Regent of the Kingdom under Louis XIII — Volume 1Pardoe, Miss (Julia)
History
The Life of Marie de Medicis, Queen of France, Consort of Henri IV, and Regent of the Kingdom under Louis XIII — Volume 1
Pardoe, Miss (Julia)
Marie de Médicis, Queen, consort of Henry IV, King of France, 1573-1642
At the close of a state dinner on the morrow (17th of December), the
royal couple proceeded, accompanied by all the princes and great nobles
of the Court, to the church of St. John; where the Papal legate,
surrounded by the Cardinals de Joyeuse,[119] de Gondy,[120] and de
Sourdis,[121] together with the prelates then residing in the city, were
already awaiting them. The royal bride retained her Tuscan costume,
which was overlaid with the splendid jewels that formed so considerable
a portion of her dowry; the most conspicuous among them being an
ornament serving as a stomacher, which immediately obtained the name of
"the Queen's Brilliant." This costly decoration consisted of an
octagonal framework of large diamonds, divided into sections by lesser
stones, each enclosing a portrait in enamel of one of the princes of her
house, beneath which hung three immense pear-shaped pearls. The King was
attired in a vest and haut-de-chausses of white satin, elaborately
embroidered with silk and gold, and a black cape;[122] and wore upon his
head the velvet _toque_ that had been introduced at the French Court by
Henri III, to which a string of costly pearls was attached by a star of
diamonds. Nor were the ladies and nobles of the royal retinue very
inferior in the splendour of their appearance even to the monarch and
his bride; feathers waved and jewels flashed on every side; silks and
velvets swept the marble floor; and the brilliant uniforms of the royal
guard were seen in startling contrast with the uncovered shoulders of
the Court dames, which were laden with gems; while, to complete the
gorgeousness of the picture, the high altar blazed with light, and
wrought gold, and precious stones; and the magnificent robes of the
prelates and priests who surrounded the shrine, formed a centre worthy
of the rich framework by which it was enclosed.
At the termination of the ceremony, gold and silver coins were thrown to
the crowd, and the procession returned to the palace in the same order
as it had reached the church.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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