(Tours before 1522–1572 Paris)
Portrait of Charles IX, King of France (1560–1574), half-length,
oil on panel, 31.3 x 23.2 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection

The present painting relates to a shorter bust-length portrait of King Charles IX of France by François Clouet in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. 5638).

In 1561, Clouet portrayed Charles IX who had recently ascended to the throne of France, succeeding his brother François II, in a drawing now in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris (res. no. 22). This model was later employed by the artist for the painting on panel in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. 5638) and a miniature on parchment, once in the collection of Charles I of England (Royal Collection Trust, RCIN 420931). Other versions are known and all are most probably by artists within Clouet’s immediate circle, including the portrait in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (acc. No. 32.100.124).

In the present painting, the young sovereign is depicted in long bust-length, looking outwards towards the viewer, wearing an elegant black jacket with fur trim, from which emerge the collar with ruffles of a white shirt. He wears an embroidered cap, here without a plume. Around his neck, and partially visible, is the medallion of the chivalrous order of Saint Michael, founded by Louis XI in 1469.

François Clouet was son of the great painter and draughtsman Jean Clouet and trained in his father’s workshop, succeeding him after his death in 1540 in the position of painter and valet de chambre at the Valois court. Over his long career he worked for François I, Henri II, François II and Charles IX. Clouet was celebrated by poets and men of letters, including Pierre de Ronsard. In his work Le Fort inexpugnable de l’honneur du sexe féminin, dedicated to Catherine de’ Medici and published in 1555, François de Billon even compared him to Michelangelo, evidence of the great success the artist enjoyed among his contemporaries.

Being the head of a large workshop, Clouet was responsible for the production of miniatures, enamels, easel paintings, prints and medals, as well as theatre sets and ephemeral decoration for ceremonies. The names of some of his collaborators active between 1550 and 1575, such as François Brimbal, Laurent Dujardin, Guyon Ledoulx and Jean and Jacques Patin are known from documents, but in-depth studies on how the workshop operated are, at present, lacking.