Portret van Hendrik IV
Pierre Chenu
1766
Medium
etching
Dimensions
99; 152
About this artwork
height 152 mm
Art Historical Context
### Portret van Hendrik IV into the world of 18th-century portrait with *Portret van Hendrik IV*, delicate etching by French engraver Pierre Chenu, in 1766. This intimate work depicts Henry IV of France (1553–1610), the pragmatic king famed for uniting a war-torn nation through the Edict of Nantes 1598, granting religious tolerance to Huguenots. Rendered over 150 years after his death, Chenu's portrait reflects the Enlightenment-era fascination with enlightened monarchs and their legacies, evoking nostalgia for Henry's charisma and the phrase "a chicken in every pot." Etching, Chenu's chose...