39th Annual Student Research Conference
Non Mudera: the Dual Identity of Anne of Brittany in Art and Politics
Sonja R. Ramberg
Dr. Kristen Cypret, Faculty Mentor
Anne of Brittany was Queen of France twice, and duchess of Brittany in her own right. During her two reigns as queen, (married to Charles VIII and Louis XII), Anne expressed her devotion to her homeland of Brittany and her desire for its continued autonomy under the French crown through her commissions in art and involvement in her husband’s politics. Anne’s Breton independence stemmed from a tradition of women asserting their rights to rule the duchy in the past despite its status as a fiefdom under the laws of the French crown. This study examines how books commissioned by Anne, les Grandes Heures d’Anne de Bretagne, and le Primer de Claude de France both express Anne’s independence both as queen of France and as duchess of Brittany. The two works visually encode Anne’s dual identity using her own coat of arms rather than her husband the king’s, asserting a distinct Breton sovereignty.
Keywords: Anne of Brittany, Renaissance France, Renaissance Art, French History, Women’s History
Topic(s):French Capstone
Art History
History
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: -1
Location: SUB 3203
Time: 10:00