Court art in 16th century France often served as a way of representing power and reflected social and political processes in the kingdom. This allows us to consider the works of visual culture of this period, including as a historical source. The article is devoted to the way in which the art of the second half of the 16th century represented the “everyday life of the Valois”, which combined the confrontation of religious and political parties, fascination with the ideas of the Renaissance, the desire to create the best public image, etc. The article considers the image of the Valois and court aristocrats in the main types of visual culture of the period. In particular, the influence of Catherine de Medici and the influence of the powerful House of Guise on the main types of representation is examined.
16th-century French art; Valois; Catherine de Medici; François de Guise; Henri de Guise; Antoine Caron.