Portrait of Henri II as a child

Portrait of Henri II as a child

• Localisation : The Clouet Room
• Année de création :1524
• Artiste :Jean Clouet

Description

At the beginning of the 16th century, Jean Clouet, and then his son François, popularised a court portrait formula. Author of the famous Portrait of François I (Louvre Museum), at the same time, Jean Clouet painted the King’s children. He launched a veritable pictorial genre, that of the children’s portrait, subsequently perpetuated by his son. The formula established by the Clouets features the three-quarters bust model, evoking the Nordic tradition, but with particular attention to likeness of features and the psychology of the person in the portrait. Always reserved, as was customary at court in the period, sometimes discreetly smiling, models are depicted in the splendour of their finery and rank. Here, Clouet focuses on the spontaneity of childhood behind the well-behaved expression of the young prince, holding his puppy in his arms. Henri II’s wife, Catherine de Medici, also commissioned a series of portraits of her children from François Clouet.