Lot Essay
A preparatory study for the monumental bronze statue of King Henri IV (fig. 1), commissioned by the marquis d'Alincourt, French ambassador in Rome, on 18 November 1606 and erected in August 1609 under the Loggia della Benedizione in San Giovanni Laterano, Rome. The events which led up to this commission, and the political intrigues which surrounded its completion greatly enlivened diplomatic life in Rome during the first decade of the 17th Century.
The rise of protestantism in France culminated in the murder of King Henri III in 1589, and this marked the end of the Valois family line. The heir to the throne was a distant cousin, Henri de Bourbon, King of Navarre, who was a Protestant. In the hope of halting the civil war, Henri de Navarre married King Henri III's sister, Marguerite de Valois, Queen Margot, in 1572. However, the murder of many of the Protestants who had come to celebrate the wedding - the infamous Saint Bartholomew's day massacre - ended any chance of a truce. Henri de Navarre was saved by a prompt conversion which he quickly renounced, and the civil war was resumed. It was only in 1594, four years after his accession to the throne, that he entered Paris. The previous year he had renounced his Protestantism but on political, rather than religious grounds, as can be judged from his famous remark: 'Paris is well worth a mass'. The conclusion of the civil war was marked by the Edict of Nantes in 1598, in which the new King granted Protestants the right to worship.
The Papacy, influenced by the pro-Spanish faction, viewed the new King with great suspicion: mindful of his heretical past, his previous renunciations of the Faith, the divorce of his first wife and his compromise towards the Protestants. The Pope had excommunicated the King and the rift between France and Rome, encouraged by Spain, was only slightly eased by the absolution granted to him in 1595 by Pope Clement VIII. The mutual hostility was ameliorated by the appointment in 1600 of Charles de Neufville de Villeroy, marquis d'Alincourt as the new French ambassador to the Papal Court, whose diplomatic skill restored France's traditional influence: underlined by the election of the French candidate, Alessandro de'Medici as Pope Leo XI, following the death of Pope Clement VIII. This political influence was based on the skilful distribution of pensions and benefits, and this prompted the renewal of the 15th Century practice of granting monies to San Giovanni Laterano. On 22 September 1604, King Henry granted the benefits of the wealthy abbey of Clairac to the Lateran: one half to be distributed to all the canons and the other to the eight of them who could be most influential in supporting French interests.
The commission of the King's statue resulted directly from this patronage. The canons were keen to express their gratitude, but above all they were determined to impress Rome with their new wealth. San Giovanni Laterano, traditionally supported by the French, was rivalled by Santa Maria Maggiore which was supported by Spain. The bitter competition between the two basilicas was deepened by this deliberately provocative commission to celebrate King Henri, an enemy of Spain, by a statue at one of the principal entrances to Rome's cathedral. This developed into an open challenge which involved not only the two parties but other religious orders.
A contract between the canons, the sculptor nicknamed 'Franciosino' and the bronze founder, Gregorio de'Rossi, was signed on 15 November 1606. It states that the statue should have a strong likeness to the sovereign and that he should wear a crown. Cordier, who had never met Henri IV, may have worked from his portrait on the medal by Guillaume Dupré of 1605. This probably explains why, up until now, the drawing was attributed to Dupré. However, Cordier settled for the laurel wreath as in the present sheet, instead of a crown.
The iconography of the statue is complex: it was conceived by the marquis d'Aligny and reflects his wish to combine a political and an allegorical image. Mixing emblems and mythological themes into intricate conceits, was an intellectual exercise favored at the French court since the late Middle Ages. Henri IV is shown first of all as the King of France. He wears the coronation robes and the various emblems of Power, which to a French audience meant full control over every aspect of political life. He holds the scepter of Military Command as well as that of Justice. Such an attire is closer to the representation of a monarch on a coin, such as the medal in which the crowned Henri IV appears holding a similar scepter topped with a fleur-de-lys, recorded by Jacques de Brie in his France métallique, published in Paris in 1636.
The King is depicted as a mars imperator, wearing antique armour and in a pose which, characteristic of the first part of his reign, links him to the mythological representation of the King as Hercules. Although not visible in the present drawing, on the statue the Lion of Nemea's head is visible on the King's shoulder. The Bourbon dynasty associated itself with the myth of Hercules throughout the Ancien Régime. In the present drawing, however, the King is essentially depicted as Mars. A small relief appears on the pedestal in the present drawing, showing Mars embracing Pallas holding an olive branch, symbolising the military power of the King tempered by Wisdom bringing Peace. This helps to date the drawing to the early stages of the commission when the pedestal was still an integral part of the iconographical programe. The various factions at the papal court delayed the completion of the statue. Before returning to Paris, the French ambassador secured the future of his project by erecting a massive pedestal at the allocated place in front of the cathedral. Although the iconography is primarily political it also had to have a religious reference to satisfy the Church. Interestingly, the barbarian crushed under the foot of the King is replaced by the monster of heresy in the print engraved by Picou and David. Thirteen years after his absolution, Henri IV, founder of the Bourbon dynasty, had undoubtedly become an important counterweight to Spanish power.
The statue, which measures eight feet, was cast the first time unsuccessfully in front of a diplomatic audience in November 1608. It was successfully recast secretly by Gregorio de'Rossi and was finally erected in August 1609. Cordier received 525 scudi.
There are drawings of comparable technique, one preparatory for the statue of Pope Paul V dating from 1611 in the collection of the late Sir John Pope-Hennessy, S. Pressouyre, Nicolas Cordier, Rome, 1984, II, no. 19bis, fig. 164, and another, with similar use of wash to that of the present study, for the statue of Saint Agnes of 1604 in the Uffizi, S. Pressouyre, op. cit., no. 20bis, fig. 178
The rise of protestantism in France culminated in the murder of King Henri III in 1589, and this marked the end of the Valois family line. The heir to the throne was a distant cousin, Henri de Bourbon, King of Navarre, who was a Protestant. In the hope of halting the civil war, Henri de Navarre married King Henri III's sister, Marguerite de Valois, Queen Margot, in 1572. However, the murder of many of the Protestants who had come to celebrate the wedding - the infamous Saint Bartholomew's day massacre - ended any chance of a truce. Henri de Navarre was saved by a prompt conversion which he quickly renounced, and the civil war was resumed. It was only in 1594, four years after his accession to the throne, that he entered Paris. The previous year he had renounced his Protestantism but on political, rather than religious grounds, as can be judged from his famous remark: 'Paris is well worth a mass'. The conclusion of the civil war was marked by the Edict of Nantes in 1598, in which the new King granted Protestants the right to worship.
The Papacy, influenced by the pro-Spanish faction, viewed the new King with great suspicion: mindful of his heretical past, his previous renunciations of the Faith, the divorce of his first wife and his compromise towards the Protestants. The Pope had excommunicated the King and the rift between France and Rome, encouraged by Spain, was only slightly eased by the absolution granted to him in 1595 by Pope Clement VIII. The mutual hostility was ameliorated by the appointment in 1600 of Charles de Neufville de Villeroy, marquis d'Alincourt as the new French ambassador to the Papal Court, whose diplomatic skill restored France's traditional influence: underlined by the election of the French candidate, Alessandro de'Medici as Pope Leo XI, following the death of Pope Clement VIII. This political influence was based on the skilful distribution of pensions and benefits, and this prompted the renewal of the 15th Century practice of granting monies to San Giovanni Laterano. On 22 September 1604, King Henry granted the benefits of the wealthy abbey of Clairac to the Lateran: one half to be distributed to all the canons and the other to the eight of them who could be most influential in supporting French interests.
The commission of the King's statue resulted directly from this patronage. The canons were keen to express their gratitude, but above all they were determined to impress Rome with their new wealth. San Giovanni Laterano, traditionally supported by the French, was rivalled by Santa Maria Maggiore which was supported by Spain. The bitter competition between the two basilicas was deepened by this deliberately provocative commission to celebrate King Henri, an enemy of Spain, by a statue at one of the principal entrances to Rome's cathedral. This developed into an open challenge which involved not only the two parties but other religious orders.
A contract between the canons, the sculptor nicknamed 'Franciosino' and the bronze founder, Gregorio de'Rossi, was signed on 15 November 1606. It states that the statue should have a strong likeness to the sovereign and that he should wear a crown. Cordier, who had never met Henri IV, may have worked from his portrait on the medal by Guillaume Dupré of 1605. This probably explains why, up until now, the drawing was attributed to Dupré. However, Cordier settled for the laurel wreath as in the present sheet, instead of a crown.
The iconography of the statue is complex: it was conceived by the marquis d'Aligny and reflects his wish to combine a political and an allegorical image. Mixing emblems and mythological themes into intricate conceits, was an intellectual exercise favored at the French court since the late Middle Ages. Henri IV is shown first of all as the King of France. He wears the coronation robes and the various emblems of Power, which to a French audience meant full control over every aspect of political life. He holds the scepter of Military Command as well as that of Justice. Such an attire is closer to the representation of a monarch on a coin, such as the medal in which the crowned Henri IV appears holding a similar scepter topped with a fleur-de-lys, recorded by Jacques de Brie in his France métallique, published in Paris in 1636.
The King is depicted as a mars imperator, wearing antique armour and in a pose which, characteristic of the first part of his reign, links him to the mythological representation of the King as Hercules. Although not visible in the present drawing, on the statue the Lion of Nemea's head is visible on the King's shoulder. The Bourbon dynasty associated itself with the myth of Hercules throughout the Ancien Régime. In the present drawing, however, the King is essentially depicted as Mars. A small relief appears on the pedestal in the present drawing, showing Mars embracing Pallas holding an olive branch, symbolising the military power of the King tempered by Wisdom bringing Peace. This helps to date the drawing to the early stages of the commission when the pedestal was still an integral part of the iconographical programe. The various factions at the papal court delayed the completion of the statue. Before returning to Paris, the French ambassador secured the future of his project by erecting a massive pedestal at the allocated place in front of the cathedral. Although the iconography is primarily political it also had to have a religious reference to satisfy the Church. Interestingly, the barbarian crushed under the foot of the King is replaced by the monster of heresy in the print engraved by Picou and David. Thirteen years after his absolution, Henri IV, founder of the Bourbon dynasty, had undoubtedly become an important counterweight to Spanish power.
The statue, which measures eight feet, was cast the first time unsuccessfully in front of a diplomatic audience in November 1608. It was successfully recast secretly by Gregorio de'Rossi and was finally erected in August 1609. Cordier received 525 scudi.
There are drawings of comparable technique, one preparatory for the statue of Pope Paul V dating from 1611 in the collection of the late Sir John Pope-Hennessy, S. Pressouyre, Nicolas Cordier, Rome, 1984, II, no. 19bis, fig. 164, and another, with similar use of wash to that of the present study, for the statue of Saint Agnes of 1604 in the Uffizi, S. Pressouyre, op. cit., no. 20bis, fig. 178