Kings of France
King Henri III
King Henri III of France & Henri, Duc de Guise
The classic image - the king in black, the blameless henri de Guise in white and his brother , Louis, the cardinal in red, shortly before the Guise brothers were murdered on orders of the king.
Pierre Charles Comte, "Henri III et le duc de Guise" 1855. http://www.chateaudeblois.fr/?Fetes-et-crimes-a-la-Renaissance
After the murder, at the chateau de Blois, the king entered the death chamber and cried out << my God, he appears larger in death than in life >>. This was, of ccourse, a fablepromoted uring the 19th century
Paul Delaroche L assassinat du duc de Guise http://www.chateaudeblois.fr/?Fetes-et-crimes-a-la-Renaissance
These paintings were done long after the birth of the black legend of King Henri III. The title of the second painting derives from the famous supposed quotation from Henri III at the death of his nemesis.