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Hôtel des Ventes de Clermont-Ferrand
109
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17th-century French school, Portrait of Henry IV, King of Fr…
See original version (French)
109
-
17th-century French school, Portrait of Henry IV, King of Fr…
See original version (French)
Estimate €5,000 - €7,000
Voluntary lot
Description
17th-century French school,
Portrait of Henry IV, King of France and Navarre,
Oil on canvas,
(Re-stretched, slightly enlarged around the edges by approximately ten centimetres, minor restorations in the background; on the stretcher, a former label from the London transport firm Pitt & Scott).
149 x 115.7 cm
Provenance:
Former Swedish collection of the Counts von Molle until the mid-19th century.
Public auction, Pau, 19 December 2009, lot no. 10.
The sovereign is depicted standing against a landscape background, in studded and gilded armour, draped with the large white sash of command, wearing the insignia of the Order of the Holy Spirit, with his sword at his left side and his right hand holding the sceptre.
This depiction of the victorious king in armour is reminiscent, in its composition, of the portrait of Henry IV with three cupids, from the French school circa 1600 (oil on canvas, 255 x 122 cm) held at the National Museum and Estate of the Château de Pau (See the catalogue of the exhibition at Pau and the National Archives, ‘Henri IV and the Reconstruction of the Kingdom’, no. 252c, reproduced in colour on p. 203, entry on p. 200, RMN 1989).
The Order of the Holy Spirit was established by his immediate predecessor, Henry III (1551–1589), on 31 December 1578, at the very height of the Wars of Religion. By ostentatiously adopting this symbol of the Order, the new King of France confirmed, in the eyes of all, his complete political legitimacy following his conversion to Catholicism.
Since its sale in 2009, the painting has undergone minor restoration and the varnish has been thinned, which has improved its clarity.
Expert: Mr Laurent Calès ([email protected] or 06 84 13 18 71).
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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