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Henri II, King of France, Between France and Fame

Jean Duvet French
ca. 1548
Not on view
Until Jean Duvet began dating prints at Dijon in 1520, we know of no French engraver by name. Duvet adapted his figures from prints by Mantegna, Dürer, Marcantonio, and others. Some of this work even passed for Italian. Duvet dedicated twenty-three violent visions of the Apocalypse to Henry II, whose coronation in 1547 and love for Diane de Poitiers inspired the work reproduced here, apparently executed on the occasion of Henry's rededication of the order of Saint Michael, saint of the church militant, in 1548.
Here Duvet depicts Henry in the guise of Saint Michael, perhaps symbolizing Henry's role as leader of Catholic France. He stands victorious with his wings outspread, sword in hand, and demon beneath his feet. The pommel of his sword is in the form of a fleur-de-lis, emblem of the French kings, and the figure at the left holds an escutcheon with three fleurs-de-lis. The crescent above Henry's head—the attribute of the goddess Diana—is a symbol of Diane de Poitiers.
Duvet himself was gripped by the struggle between Catholics and Protestants. He joined a fanatic Catholic fraternity in France and then defected to the enemy in Geneva, where he designed coins, stained glass, and fortifications for the Calvinists.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Henri II, King of France, Between France and Fame
  • Artist: Jean Duvet (French, ca. 1485–after 1561)
  • Date: ca. 1548
  • Medium: Engraving
  • Dimensions: sheet: 11 3/4 x 8 7/16 in. (29.8 x 21.5 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1925
  • Object Number: 25.2.93
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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An innumerable Multitude which Stands before the Throne, from the Apocalypse, Jean Duvet French, Engraving
An innumerable Multitude which Stands before the Throne, from the Apocalypse
Jean Duvet
n.d.
The Revelation of Saint John the Evangelist, from the Apocalypse, Jean Duvet French, Engraving
The Revelation of Saint John the Evangelist, from the Apocalypse
Jean Duvet
n.d.
The Angel sounding the Sixth Trumpet, from the Apocalypse, Jean Duvet French, Engraving
The Angel sounding the Sixth Trumpet, from the Apocalypse
Jean Duvet
n.d.
Saint John Summoned to Heaven, from the Apocalypse, Jean Duvet French, Engraving
Saint John Summoned to Heaven, from the Apocalypse
Jean Duvet
n.d.
The Angel Gives Saint John the Book to Eat, from the Apocalypse, Jean Duvet French, Engraving; second state of two
The Angel Gives Saint John the Book to Eat, from the Apocalypse
Jean Duvet
n.d.

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