Kings of France
King Henri III
King Henri III of France as a Young Man
Many of these portraits are incorrectly labeled as being of Henri's younger brother, Francois, Duc d’Alençon. Francois was considered to be ugly due to very serious scarring from smallpox, while Henri was the best looking and most eligible bachelor in Europe according to the English and their vain Queen Elizabeth .
- I personally doubt that the first portrait is of Henri. The sitter had blue or grey eyes, and is more likely older brother Charles than Henri whose eyes are invariably black as coal. Compare the portrait of Charles as a boy with a dog - where he is clearly shown with light-colored grey-blue eyes. Also, the garb in the portrait is quite close to that used by Charles in his early portraits. The boys, were close in age, and may have dressed alike, especially in the reign of Francois II, when Charles was not yet king.
Click on the beveled images to enlarge
- This oil looks more like Henri despite the label that states it is his
brother. Alençon's portraits are often confused with Henri's
RMN - The last three portraits were sent by his mother Catherine de Medici to Queen
Elizabeth of England during the 1571 negotiations for Henri, then Duc d'Anjou,
to marry the Queen. The marriage never took place due to the difference in
religion.
His armor , source RMN
