"Portrait Of King Louis XIII Of France & Navarre C.1611; Circle Of Frans Pourbus The Younger"
This jewel-like portrait represents King Louis XIII of France and Navarre. The resplendent doublet and elaborate openwork lace standing collar were expensive items and as such important markers of his wealth and status. Suspended from the chain is the badge of the ancient honor of chivalry, the L’Ordre de Saint-Esprit (Order of The Holy Spirit) – founded in 1578 for the nobility.The portrait was painted circa 1611 when Louis was about 10 years old and around the time of his accession to the throne. Frans Pourbus the Younger became Maria de Medici's court painter in Paris in 1611 - Pourbus depicted Louis both as Dauphin and also as King on several occasions.
Louis XIII was born in 1601 at the Château de Fontainebleau in France. He was the eldest son of King Henri IV and his second wife, Marie de’ Medici. From a young age, Louis showed a great interest in music and learned to play the lute at just three years old.
When his father died and he became King, his mother Marie de’ Medici was appointed Regent, to serve until he became of age. Despite reaching his majority in 1614, his mother continued to exert her influence as Regent, deeming her son “too weak in body and spirit” to assume his rightful position.
It would be several years before Louis asserted his authority. In April 1617, he organised a coup d’état, ousting his mother’s primary minister Concino Concini and sending his mother into exile. He replaced Concini with his favorite advisor, Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes. One of the first challenges in his reign was the Thirty Years’ War which began in 1618, in which there was much disagreement on which side the French should support. There was also growing disagreement with Luynes and his actions. These all led to a rebellion against the King, led by his own mother who had escaped from exile. Through the influence of the Duke of Richelieu (later Cardinal), Louis and his mother were reconciled, and within a few years, he permitted her to return to the French court. By 1624, Louis was now ruled by council and Cardinal Richelieu was taking a more prominent role in the King’s reign.
In 1612, at just eleven years old, Louis became betrothed to Anna of Austria, in keeping with the tradition of inter-marriages between the French and Spanish monarchies. She was the daughter of King Felipe III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. The couple was married by proxy on October 18, 1615, in Burgos, Spain. The same day, Louis’s sister Elisabeth was married to Anna’s brother, the future King Felipe IV of Spain. Following Anna’s arrival in France, the couple married in 1615. After four stillborn children, and 23 years of marriage, the couple had two sons: King Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) (who married Maria Theresa of Spain), and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (1640-1701) (who married Henrietta of England).
After several weeks of intense illness, King Louis XIII died in Paris on May 14, 1643. He was interred at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris, France with very little pomp or ceremony as was his wish that the French people were not be subjected to any excessive or unnecessary expense due to his death.
Frans Pourbus was from a family of painters from the Netherlands and was one of the leading court portraitists in Europe. He trained with his grandfather, Pieter Pourbus, in Bruges before moving to Antwerp and then to Brussels where he spent a year working for Archduke Albert and the Infanta Isabella. From 1600 to 1609 he was in Mantua, working for Vincenzo I Gonzaga. Marie de' Medici summoned him to Paris in 1609 and appointed him as her court painter, a position he held until his death. In 1616, he also became court painter to Louis XIII. Examples of this work can be found in the Royal Collection, the National Museum in Warsaw, the Louvre, the Prado, the Rijksmuseum, the Royal College of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and many other museums.
Presented in a gilded antique frame.
This painting has passed a strict quality and condition check by a professional conservator prior to going on sale ensuring very good condition.
Provenance: Private collection France
Measurements: Height 57cm, Width 50cm framed (Height 22.5”, Width 19.75” framed
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