[Henri IV, King of France] c.1741-60
Mezzotint with engraving printed in four colours | 51.7 x 48.8 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 616654
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Mezzotint with engraving printed in colour of Henri IV, King of France and Navarre. Bust length with short hair, beard, closed ruff, doublet, robes, and with the Order of the Holy Spirit. Cut down without inscriptions. This coloured mezzotint is printed from four coloured plates in red, yellow, black, and blue.
The printmaker, Jacques Fabien Gautier d'Agoty (1716-1785), trained under Jakob Christoph Le Blon in the late 1730's and in 1741 Gautier d'Agoty obtained a copyright for printing in four colours. Le Blond had invented a pioneering technique for printing in three colours, and founded the French colour printing school.
This print was mounted on a stretcher and framed for hanging at an early point in its history.Provenance
Probably one of three coloured prints of Henri IV purchased by George IV, perhaps that acquired from Colnaghi & Co. on 1 Feb 1811 for £1 1s (RA GEO/MAIN/27596)
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Medium and techniques
Mezzotint with engraving printed in four colours
Measurements
51.7 x 48.8 cm (sheet of paper)
Category
Object type(s)