Stars and Labyrinths. Poetry, Sign, Festvities for the Valois King of Poland in Paris in 1573

The dissertationis a study of text and objectscreated in Paris in 1573 to celebrate the election of Henri de Valois, the future Henri III of France, to the throne of Poland. The work is composed of two case studies, each of which takes as a point of departure the study of a specific “object” linked to the celebrations of Henri’s election. The first part offers a thorough analysis of the royal device, while the second begins with a reconstruction and exegesis of the court spectacle, both created to celebrate the election of Henri de Valois. For each study, the ideas behind these two inventions will then be set into wider political, intellectual and artistic context, mainly through the use of poetic sources. As a result, two main ideological threads in the celebrations for the Valois king of Poland will be uncovered and explored: the imperial mirage of the French dynasty and the performance of motherhood by Catherine de Médicis.