From the early 1620s Rubens was charged with royal orders from France and Spain for large and integrated projects: the Medici series (1622—25), the Constantine series (1622—23), the Henry IV series (1625—28) and the series of the Eucharist (1625-27). The new energy of the High-Baroque must have seemed a very suitable medium with which to express the pursuit of magnificence and self-glorification of absolute monarchs. At the same time a new source of inspiration made its entry into Rubens's art: allegorical personification and typological association with Graeco-Roman mythology enabled the propagandist significance of these compositions to be made even more explicit. The numerous scenes in the Medici series (Paris, Louvre) are the first and perhaps the most striking examples of this propagandist blend of history and myth in Rubens's oeuvre.

Preview	Picture Data	Info
	The Landing of Marie de Médicis at Marseilles 1623-25 Oil on canvas, 394 x 295 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris
	The Landing of Marie de Médicis at Marseilles (detail) 1623-25 Oil on canvas Musée du Louvre, Paris
	The Meeting of Marie de Médicis and Henri IV at Lyon 1622-25 Oil on canvas, 394 x 295 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris
	The Capture of Juliers 1622-25 Oil on canvas, 394 x 295 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris
	The Happiness of the Regency 1623-25 Oil on canvas, 394 x 295 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris
	The Apotheosis of Henry IV and the Proclamation of the Regency of Marie de Médicis on May 14, 1610 1623-25 Oil on canvas, 394 x 727 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris
	The Apotheosis of Henry IV and the Proclamation of the Regency of Marie de Médicis on May 14, 1610 (detail) 1623-25 Oil on canvas Musée du Louvre, Paris
	The Apotheosis of Henry IV and the Proclamation of the Regency of Marie de Médicis on May 14, 1610 (detail) 1623-25 Oil on canvas Musée du Louvre, Paris
	Marie de Médicis as Bellona 1622-25 Oil on canvas, 276 x 149 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris
	The Fates Spinning Marie's Destiny 1622-25 Oil on canvas, 394 x 153 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris
	The Triumph of Truth 1622-25 Oil on canvas, 394 x 160 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris
	The Triumphal Entry of Henry IV into Paris 1627-30 Oil on canvas, 380 x 692 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence