Henri III

The death of Charles IX of France in 1574 led to the unexpected accession of his younger brother as Henri III. Henri had been elected King of Poland the previous year, and his journey from Krakow back to Paris took him via Venice, where he was welcomed on 18 July with elaborate ceremonies. Cesare Vecellio, an assistant and distant relation of Titian, was an accomplished artist, and the relative crudeness of this print hints at the speed with which it was produced, being published just 14 days after Henri’s entry to Venice. It is the only known impression of the print, and one of very few coloured prints from Cassiano’s collection.