Collection

Portrait of Henry III of Valois

unknown

  • Portrait of Henry III of Valois 2
  • Portrait of Henry III of Valois 3
Basic information
ID
Ж-3856
Author
unknown
Name
Portrait of Henry III of Valois
Date of creation
17th c.
Technique
oil painting
Material
canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm)
59.5 x 47
Additionally
Information about author
Author
unknown
Object description
Henry III of Valois (French: Henri III de Valois, Polish: Henryk Walezy) (1551–1589) was King of France, King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Grand Duke of Lithuania. He was the last representative of the French dynasty of Valois who took the French throne. Henry III of Valois was the fourth son of Henry II, King of France, and Catherine de Medicis. Henry III was distinguished by his special behavior at court. He liked luxury and wore richly decorated expensive clothes and earrings in his ears. Morrison, Venice ambassador to Paris, wrote about the King in 1573: "He was not satisfied with one earring in each ear, he needed double earrings adorned with precious stones and pearls…". That’s exactly how Henry ІІІ is depicted on the bust-length portrait – in luxurious clothes and with exquisite jewelry. The image is characterized by a planar manner of painting. On the portrait there is an inscription: "HENRICVS Z | REX POLO".
Portrayed person
The name of the person portrayed
Henry III of Valois
Lifetime of the person portrayed
1551–1589