Portret van Henry de Bourbon 1630

Hendrick Hondius I created this engraving, “Portret van Henry de Bourbon,” around 1630. It captures Henry IV, King of France, whose life was a complex navigation of religious and political strife. Born into a Protestant family, Henry converted to Catholicism to become king, famously stating, "Paris is worth a mass.” This act highlights the tensions of religious identity and political expediency in a society deeply divided by faith. Hondius’s portrait, made after Henry’s death, presents a regal figure, armored and framed by Latin text which translates to, ‘To subdue the proud, to spare the subjected.’ Consider how this image served to shape the memory of a leader who sought to bridge divides, even as he faced challenges of religious conflict and power. The portrait invites us to reflect on the cost of leadership and the complexities of identity in times of political transformation.