Who painted The Entry in Paris by Henry IV?

The Entry in Paris by Henry IV was painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1628.

Where can I see The Entry in Paris by Henry IV?

The Entry in Paris by Henry IV is held by Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

What movement is The Entry in Paris by Henry IV?

The Entry in Paris by Henry IV is associated with Flemish Baroque painting.

Artwork

The Entry in Paris by Henry IV

Peter Paul Rubens , 1628

The Entry in Paris by Henry IV is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Peter Paul Rubens. It dates from 1628 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1628 by the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, this oil on canvas portrays the ceremonial entrance of King Henry IV into Paris. Executed in the vigorous Flemish Baroque idiom, the work combines a crowded urban setting with a dramatic procession, emphasizing the king’s prominence amid a throng of onlookers and horses.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure, Henry IV, rides a horse dressed in sumptuous gold and red attire, sword raised aloft as a symbol of royal authority. Surrounding citizens, rendered in simpler garments, gaze upward, conveying a collective reverence for the monarch’s arrival and underscoring the political significance of the event within French history.

Technique & Style

Rubens employs a dynamic composition typical of Baroque art, using diagonal lines and vigorous brushwork to convey movement. A vivid palette of reds, golds, and deep shadows heightens the drama, while the crowded foreground and detailed architectural backdrop create depth and a sense of immediacy.

History & Provenance

The painting has remained in public collections since its early acquisition, currently residing in Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie. Its presence in a major European museum reflects Rubens’s reputation as a leading history painter of the early seventeenth century and the work’s continued relevance to studies of Baroque narrative art.