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Henri IV and Maria de Medici [top half]

Simon van de Passe

1621

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Baroque Portrait

Dominant colour

Henri IV and Maria de Medici [top half] is a 1621 ink by Simon van de Passe, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Simon van de Passe
When & what style?: 1621 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This is a black-and-white engraving of a bearded man wearing a crown and fancy robes. His face is turned slightly to the side, and he holds a scepter in one hand. The background is plain, but the edges of the image have curved text in a circle around it. The text spells out names—*Henri IV* and *Maria de Medici*—which might be the people shown. The artist used fine lines to create shadows and details, especially in the hair and fabric. Next, look up *engraving* to see how artists like this carved images into metal.