It was in art, letters,
and books that the widowed princess sought such consolation as was
possible.[56] In her best days she had united in herself a seductive
grace of carriage, beauty of person, and dignity of rank, which made her
the ornament of the French Court. She was almost the only one about the
unfortunate Charles VI. who could influence him in his moments of mental
aberration. Coming from the luxury of the most splendid court in Italy,
she brought into France the most refined taste in matters connected with
the arts. The inventory of her jewels at the time of her marriage
includes three Books of Hours, three German MSS., and a volume called
_Mandavilla_. Like her husband she was an employer both of copyists and
illuminators, and before her death had collected at her Castle of Blois
a very fine collection of beautiful books.
[56] She assumed as her impresa the _chantepleure_, with the sorrowful
motto: "Plus ne m'est rien: rien ne m'est plus."
Her son Charles, the poet, inherited her tastes, and added to her
collections. We are not surprised, therefore, to find her grandson
Louis, afterwards Louis XII., supporting the great artistic movement
which he and his Queen Anne of Brittany helped so effectually to
identify with the Court of France.
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