Louis XIII Listens to the Provost of the Merchants of Paris on December 23, 1628

Abraham Bosse|Pierre Rocolet, Paris|Melchior Tavernier

1629 · Etching and engraving · Drawings and Prints

This plate was the frontispiece for a publication celebrating the triumphant return to Paris of King Louis XIII following the Siege of La Rochelle. In this formally constructed scene, the king is shown seated in a chair while Christophe Sanguin, the provost of the Merchants of Paris, and other officials kneel before him. The display of France’s military power visible through the windows is echoed in the military subjects of the tapestries covering the walls. The political and monarchical value of such images is reflected in the large number of impressions of this print—seven hundred.

Artist

Abraham Bosse|Pierre Rocolet, Paris|Melchior Tavernier

Date

1629

Medium

Etching and engraving

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1964