What if we rediscovered the history of Cognac through its glorious royal past rather than through the prism of its famous brandy? Francis I, one of the most emblematic sovereigns of the French Renaissance, returns to his native lands during this major exhibition, labeled of national interest. At the time, Cognac was going through a period of renewal. After the devastation left by the Hundred Years' War, the return of Jean de Valois in 1450 marked the beginning of an era of reconstruction and prosperity. The latter undertook the renovation of the castle, transforming a degraded fortress into an elegant stately residence, bathed in a love of letters and the arts, where poets and illuminators liked to meet. Two generations later, in 1494, it was there that François I, future king of France, was born. Was he really born under an Oak Tree as the legend says? Why did he have to leave his town so quickly at just four years old? Did he return there after his ascension to the throne to make it a “tax haven”?

This royal exhibition, nestled in the elegant private mansion of the Cognac merchants Dupuy d'Angeac, immerses us in this little-known history of the sovereign, through Renaissance paintings, precious archives such as this recently acquired cavalier view of Cognac or " The illuminated Stay of Honor by Octovien de Saint-Gelais, witness to the bustling intellectual life of the city or his priceless ceremonial sword, stolen during the defeat of Pavia then recovered by Napoleon. We discover how poets, painters and historians shaped the image of this great king centuries later, making him immortal forever in the history of France and art. Like his emblem, the indestructible salamander, Francis I has survived the flames of time, only accentuating his fame over the ages.

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LA MAISON DU NÉGOCIANT - COGNAC ART AND HISTORY MUSEUM
From June 7 to December 1, 2024
48 bd Denfert Rochereau, 16100 Cognac
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