Henricus Rex Gallorum
Medium
etching
Dimensions
108; 147
About this artwork
height 147 mm x width 108 mm
Art Historical Context
Created in 1555 by the Dutch artist Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen, *Henricus Rex Gallorum* is a finely detailed etching portraying Henry II, King of France. Vermeyen, who worked extensively for the Habsburg court of Charles V, was renowned for his portraiture and tapestry designs that blended Northern European precision with the emerging influences of the Italian Renaissance. Etching, a medium still gaining popularity in the mid-sixteenth century, allowed artists to achieve delicate lines and tonal subtlety on copper plates, making royal images more widely reproducible than paintings. This small pri...