Les effigies sculptées d’Henri IV à Toulouse au xviie siècle

Sculpting the King’s effigy and exhibiting it in the city. The stakes of such artistic ventures have already been studied for Louis XIV, whereas other reigns have aroused less curiosity. Yet, at the beginning of the 17th century, Henri IV used the same political devices on numerous occasions in Rome and in Paris, and notably in Toulouse where three effigies of the King were sculpted during his lifetime. These polychrome portraits were made between 1604 and 1607. They adorned public spaces : the town bridge and common House. These sculptures are usually perceived as forms of allegiance to the king ; this article, however, intends to question such an interpretation. After Henri IV’s conversion, members of the Holy League and of the pro-Spanish networks did not miraculously disappear and Toulouse did not succumb immediately to this new King. Therefore, the decision to introduce the image of a controversial King must have come from higher ground. Furthermore, the analysis of the ways in which he was represented and presented to the public establishes links between these examples and those that were under project in Paris during the same time. Everything leads us to believe that in both cases, Henri IV was the one fabricating his own glory