Portrait of Louis XIII, King of France
c. 1622-25
Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)
Not on View

Louis XIII, son of Henry IV and his second wife, Marie de' Medici, was born in 1601 and became king at age nine. Although he was declared of age in 1615, stronger men and especially his mother dominated him. He never learned to rule his kingdom effectively. Nevertheless, Rubens has portrayed the young king with all of the attributes of strength. He is dressed in a polished suit of armor and rests his left hand, enclosed in a gauntlet, on the table next to his plumed helmet, while his right hand grasps a marshall's baton. Attached to a ribbon at his right side is the Cross of the Order of the Saint Esprit.

The portrait of Louis, and its companion portrait of Anne of Austria, were for many years in the collection of the Archduke Leopold William of Austria.

Details

  • Artist Name: Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)
  • Title: Portrait of Louis XIII, King of France
  • Date: c. 1622-25
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 46-1/2 x 38 in. (118.1 x 96.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
  • Accession Number: F.1965.1.060.P
  • Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation

Object Information

Frederick the Great of Prussia, 1768, by inheritance to;
Wilhelm II of Germany, d. 1941, sold 1928 to;
[Duveen Inc., New York, stock 29280, sold 1965 to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.

An Exhibition of Sixty Paintings and Some Drawings by Peter Paul Rubens

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Additional Artwork by Artist

Autograph Letter (Written in Secretary's Hand in Dutch, Signed by Rubens on Verso) Peter Paul Rubens 1618
David Slaying Goliath Peter Paul Rubens c. 1616
Meleager and Atalanta and the Hunt of the Calydonian Boar Peter Paul Rubens c. 1618-19

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