Quelques dames du XVIe siècle et leurs peintres

Delving into the vibrant world of sixteenth‑century courts, this richly illustrated volume gathers the portraits and anecdotal sketches of the era’s most celebrated women. Drawing on the lively accounts of Brantôme, it reveals how noble ladies—often patrons as well as muses—were immortalised by French, Italian and Flemish artists who turned courtly festivities into lasting images of fashion, grace and intrigue.

The book’s sixteen finely reproduced plates showcase a dazzling array of crayon drawings, pastels and engravings, each accompanied by terse commentary on the painter’s technique and the sitter’s reputation. Readers are invited to wander through the imagined galleries of François I’s court, where poets, poets‑painters and young aristocrats exchanged verses while artists captured their likenesses. The collection also traces the curious journey of a surviving album, now housed in the Méjanes Library, offering a tangible glimpse into how these fleeting beauties were recorded and celebrated in their own time.