Portrait Of Henry Iv, King Of France And Navarre - French School, Late 16th Century

Portrait of Henry IV, King of France and Navarre
oil on canvas
French school
late 16th century
Excellent condition
First canvas  - gilded frame
Canvas 55 x 71 cm, frame 67 x 83 cm

A vigorous and characterful portrait of one of the most charismatic and beloved kings of France, a figure of great importance who inspired painters, theater artists, historians, and writers in their depictions of his intense life story.

The painting excellently captures his strong personality and is the work of a talented French artist who portrays him while still young and in the prime of his manhood, even before he ascended the throne in the 1580s.

Henry IV of Bourbon, known as Henry the Great (Pau, December 13, 1553 – Paris, May 14, 1610), was King of France, the first of the House of Bourbon.  The son of Antoine de Bourbon and Queen Jeanne III of Navarre, he inherited the crown of Navarre from his mother in 1572. In 1589, he succeeded Henry III of France, having been designated heir following the death of the Duke of Anjou, thus becoming the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty to ascend the throne.

He was known as “the Great,” but he also bore the nickname “Vert-galant,” a literary expression denoting the amorous daring that characterized Henry, despite the advanced age at which he ascended the throne. He was assassinated by a lone assailant, François Ravaillac, who stabbed him while he was in his carriage in the center of Paris.

During the sixteenth century, France was torn apart by violent religious wars between Catholics and Protestants: religious divisions weakened the French monarchy, which was threatened by the expansionist ambitions of Catholic Spain.

Henry of Bourbon, who ascended the throne as Henry IV, restored peace to France and, above all, reestablished the country’s unity and the prestige of the monarchy

After forty years of wars between Catholics and Protestant Huguenots, the Kingdom of France finally found peace again under his rule.

We issue a stamped and signed certificate of authenticity guaranteeing the work’s period, provenance, and all its characteristics, drawn up by an FIMA-affiliated antique dealer (ITALIAN FEDERATION OF ART DEALERS).

Delivery in Italy and throughout Europe within 3 days of receiving the bank transfer.

Shipping is tracked and insured, and the item is shipped in custom-made wooden crates with careful shock-proof packaging.