The Henry IV Series

On 26 January 1622, in Paris, Rubens entered into a contractual agreement to execute two series of monumental paintings, 'in his own hand', intended to decorate the two parallel galleries of the Parisian palace - the so-called Luxembourg Palace - of Maria de Medici, widow of Henry IV and mother of Louis XIII. Completed in 1625, the 24 paintings of the West Gallery exalting the life of the queen mother form a universally admired ensemble, on display at the Louvre for two centuries. However, the s…