The King making France prosperous while Ignorance and Time destroy the world (Le Roi fait prosperer la France alors que l'Ignorance et le Temps détruisent le monde)
Etching, part of a series of nine round prints with emblematic subjects of the glory of Henry II, all with dark backgrounds made up of thin, horizontal lines, and with a white exergue on the bottom, likely destined for inscriptions. In this etching, the King appears on the left, sitting under the shade of a palm tree, symbol of Virtue and Justice, and illuminated by a divine light. He holds a scepter with a fleur de lis on the point in his right hand, and rests his left arm on a horizontal vase from which water falls onto a globe, from which grow olive branches (symbols of Wisdom, Peache, Justice, and Charity). The allegorical meaning of this illustration might be that the king, with his wisdom, makes flourish the virtues of the world. In front of the king, Time, winged and standing on his goat feet, crushes another globe, while Ignorance, eyes covered by a blindfold and donkey ears, lights fire on a torch, with books burning by his side.
Artwork Details
- Title: The King making France prosperous while Ignorance and Time destroy the world (Le Roi fait prosperer la France alors que l'Ignorance et le Temps détruisent le monde)
- Artist: Etienne Delaune (French, Orléans 1518/19–1583 Strasbourg)
- Date: ca. 1557
- Medium: Etching
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 1 3/4 × 1 5/8 in. (4.4 × 4.1 cm)
- Classifications: Prints, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1947
- Object Number: 47.139.46
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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