The Doge and the Patriarch Welcoming Henri III, King of France
Andrea Vicentino · Public domain
This painting by **Andrea Vicentino**, executed between 1595 and 1600 and held in the Sala delle Quattro Porte of the Doge's Palace in Venice, depicts the solemn welcome extended to the young **Henri III** by the doge and the patriarch of the Republic of Venice during his stay in the lagoon city in the summer of 1574. This Venetian pageantry formed part of the king's long return journey, as he crossed Central Europe and Italy to reach France after learning, while in Poland, of the death of his brother Charles IX. The Venetian reception, remembered for its lavishness and sumptuous festivities, left a lasting impression on the young sovereign and helped shape the refined taste for courtly pomp and etiquette he retained thereafter.