Portret van Hendrik III van Frankrijk 1815 - 1825

Adèle Ethiou made this print, “Portret van Hendrik III van Frankrijk,” using etching. Prints like this one, which portray important political figures, raise many important questions about the role of art in public life. This portrait of Henry the Third, King of France, who ruled from 1574 to 1589, mobilizes visual codes of power and status. The King is elegantly framed in a decorative oval and wears a bejeweled cap, a luxurious cape, and the star of the Order of the Holy Spirit, meant to signal his status as divinely ordained ruler. But in France at this time, the monarchy faced many challenges to its authority. Religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants divided the kingdom, even as new theories of popular sovereignty emerged. To understand a print like this one, historians often consult a wide range of sources, from printed books to pamphlets, to understand the complex interaction of art, society, and political institutions. The meaning of art is contingent on social context.