Henry IV of France as a Child

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The bronze statuette, displayed at Monaco's Nouveau Musée National, portrays young King Henry IV of France. Sculptor Francois-Joseph Bosio, born in 1768 in Monaco and living until 1845 in Paris, experimented with troubadour art - a style that emerged in the 19th century to glorify idealized medieval and Renaissance depictions, also associated with Romanticism and a reaction against Neoclassicism. The artist chose a Tudor costume, an excellent example of Trubadour style, to engage viewers, unlike Neoclassical art which aims to instruct. The portrayal of kings as children offers a poignant contrast between the innocence of their youth and the gravity of their future responsibilities. Bosio was likely inspired by a 16th-century portrait of Henry IV at four years old (Château de Versailles) painted by François Bunel, court painter to the Navarre monarchs. Although Bosio respected ancient traditions by giving the sculpture a serene, emotionless appearance, he also imbued it with undeniable freshness that made the work successful.