Collection of Frances I: Royal Treasures

French King Francis I, who reigned from 1515 until his death in 1547, was an enlightened patron of the arts. Embracing the new style of Renaissance Italy even as he warred against the small, independent Italian states, he collected paintings and sculptures by Leonardo da Vinci (including the Mona Lisa), Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto, Agnolo Bronzini, Benvenuto Cellini and Fra Bartolommeo. These treasures, along with art by a host of lesser-known masters, plus tapestries, illustrated books, objects and antiquities, decorated his chateau, Fontainebleau, a showcase designed to enhance his absolutist rule and impress visitors. Featuring 400 color plates, this splendid study reconstructs the history of each artwork, traces Francis's dealings with merchants and art agents and places the collection in a political context as an expression of the monarch's aristocratic outlook. Cox-Rearick teaches art history at Hunter College and the City University of New York Graduate Center. (Dec.)