Editing Francis I of France (section)

===Patron of the arts===
[[File:Francois Ier Leonard de Vinci-Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.jpg|thumb|Francis I receiving the last breath of [[Leonardo da Vinci]] in 1519, by [[Ingres]], painted in 1818]]

By the time he ascended the throne in 1515, the [[Renaissance]] had arrived in France, and Francis became an enthusiastic patron of the arts. At the time of his accession, the royal palaces of France were ornamented with only a scattering of great paintings, and not a single sculpture, not ancient nor modern.

Francis patronized many great artists of his time, including [[Andrea del Sarto]] and [[Leonardo da Vinci]]; the latter of whom was persuaded to make France his home during his last years. While da Vinci painted very little during his years in France, he brought with him many of his greatest works, including the ''[[Mona Lisa]]'' (known in France as {{lang|fr|La Joconde}}), and these remained in France after his death. Other major artists to receive Francis's patronage included the goldsmith [[Benvenuto Cellini]] and the painters [[Rosso Fiorentino]], [[Giulio Romano (painter)|Giulio Romano]], and [[Primaticcio]], all of whom were employed in decorating Francis's various palaces. He also invited architect [[Sebastiano Serlio]], who enjoyed a fruitful late career in France.<ref>{{cite book |last=Serlio |first=Sebastiano |chapter=Sebastiano Serlio on architecture |date=1996 |title=Tutte l'opere d'architettura et prospetiva |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=0-300-06286-9 |editor-last=Hart |editor-first=Vaughan |volume=2 |page=xi |ol=811378M |author-link=Sebastiano Serlio |orig-date=1486 |editor-last2=Hicks |editor-first2=Peter |trans-title=All the Works of Architecture and Perspective}}</ref> Francis also commissioned a number of agents in Italy to procure notable works of art and ship them to France.