Henri II, King of France, at the age of 28 - Nicolo della Casa

A detailed 1547 engraving by Nicolo della Casa portraying Henri II of France in ceremonial armour, marking his accession to the throne.

This engraving by Nicolo della Casa depicts Henri II, King of France, at the age of twenty-eight. Produced in 1547, the year of his accession to the throne, the work captures the monarch in a pose of regal authority. The artist employs a precise technique to render the textures of the king's ceremonial armour, which is covered in elaborate relief work. The imagery on the breastplate includes classical motifs, figures, and masks, reflecting the aesthetic preferences of the French court during the mid-sixteenth century.

The king is shown in profile, wearing a laurel wreath that evokes the tradition of Roman emperors. His expression is composed, and his posture is rigid, consistent with the formal requirements of royal portraiture from this period. Della Casa uses fine lines to delineate the contours of the face and the metallic sheen of the armour, creating a sense of volume despite the two-dimensional nature of the print. The inclusion of a baton in his right hand and a shield to his left reinforces his role as a military leader.

At the base of the composition, a cartouche contains the Latin inscription: HENRICVS II FRANCOR REX ETA XXVIII 1547. This identifies the subject, his age, and the date of the work. The print provides a clear view of the decorative arts associated with the Valois dynasty, specifically the armour produced by the royal workshops. As a historical document, it records the visual identity of the monarch at the beginning of his reign. The work is a representative example of the printmaking techniques used to disseminate the image of the sovereign across Europe during the Renaissance.