FRENCH FOUNDRY XVIII-XIX CENTURY, Henry IV and the Duke of Sully

Coated bronze. Henry IV: 30 x 13,5 x 8,5 cm column included. Duke of Sully: 27,5 x 11,5 x 8,5 cm column included

This handsome pair of busts depicts two characters well-known in European politics during the Renaissance: king Henry IV and his advisor, the Duke of Sully. It is quite rare to see them in a pair; usually we see the king along with his wife, the italian Maria de’ Medici.

The first bust shows Henry IV wearing his classic parade armour. He is crowned with a laurel wreath. A velvety sash and two lion heads on the shoulders complete the warrior-like look.
The second bust depicts the Duke of Sully (who died in Villebon in 1641) wearing a gorget: he was Henry IV’s financial advisor. After the king’s assassination in 1610, he came to disagree with Maria de Medici due to her attempts to seek friendly relations with Spain and resigned his position.

Henry IV’s court sculptor was Barthelemy Prieur, known for making monumental works for the crown, who produced a series of bronzes statuettes depicting the King, as well as some sensual Venus-ettes.
His famous works include the portrait of the King on horseback (recently auctioned for a whopping 500.000 euros), but also commemorative busts of the King and his wife Maria de Medici. A few notorious ones are preserved in the Louvre and in Los Angeles’ Country Museum.

Every bust that followed suit was inspired by these prototypes. We would like to mention a bronze statuette kept in Oxford’s Ashmoleum Museum, identical to our Henry IV and dated to the XVIII century.