The Last Valois
Kings of France
King Henri III
King Henri III in Poland
Henri was elected the King of Poland in 1573, before his accession to the
French throne. He only spent 6 months there, his brother King Charles IX
dying and Henri escaping the Poles to return home.
This medallion has often been used as proof that the King got fatter as he aged, yet, being done in Poland, and his not wearing the Cordon of the Saint Esprit, one must conclude that he was quite young in the portrait, before 1578.
Perhaps, he was not fat in the portrait - the effect is due to the artist ?
Pourquoi est-ce le roi est-il si gros dans ce médallion? Il apparait très mince dans toutes ses autres images