Fotoreproductie van een gravure van De ontmoeting van Maria de'Medici en Hendrik IV in Lyon door Jean-Marc Nattier, naar het schilderij door Peter Paul Rubens before 1864

This is a photograph of an engraving of The Meeting of Maria de' Medici and Henry IV in Lyon. The photo was made by Dechamps et Cie after the painting by Peter Paul Reubens. The composition is bisected horizontally, dividing earthly and celestial realms. Below, a chariot pulled by lions conveys figures including putti—symbols of love. Above, more figures amid clouds indicate the heavens, with details rendered through fine, dark lines against the lighter ground. This contrast creates texture, defining the forms and spatial relationships within the allegorical scene. The subject, the meeting of Maria de' Medici and Henry IV, is transformed into a spectacle of power and divinity. The print invites us to consider how reproduction changes the reception and interpretation of art, and how techniques such as engraving could translate the original work into a different visual language, thereby altering its meaning.