Declaration of War on Spain by Louis XIII: The King as Hercules
ca. 1635
Medium
Etching; second state of four
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 10 3/8 in. × 13 in. (26.3 × 33 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.2229
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking etching from around 1635 captures a pivotal moment in French history through vivid allegory. Created by Abraham Bosse in collaboration with publisher François Langlois, portrays King Louis XIII as the mythological hero Hercules, boldly declaring war on Spain. The composition features the king in a dynamic chariot, accompanied by symbolic figures including lions and roosters, emphasizing strength, vigilance, and national pride during a time of European conflict. Bosse, a leading French printmaker of the seventeenth century, specialized in detailed etchings that blended political ...
About the Artist
Abraham Bosse|François Langlois · 1602–1676
Abraham Bosse (1604–1676) was a French printmaker and theorist whose approximately 1,600 etchings provide an unparalleled visual record of 17th-century French life. Born to Huguenot parents in Tours, he trained in Paris under Melchior Tavernier and became a devoted follower of Jacques Callot's technical innovations. Bosse's meticulous etchings depicted subjects ranging from daily life and fashion ...