Francois Clouet - Royal horses and riders

 Salvete Omnes,
long time ago I posted this painting by Francois Clouet (1515-72) - a French master, who was skilled in water media as gouache and oil painting. 

Dauphin Henri II Valois (1519-1559), 1543AD - at Menil Collection, Texas

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monsieur Clouet painted several more paintings of French Valoise dynasts on horseback. 

First, the splendid Francis I (1497- died 1547) - oil on oak panel 

mounted on a splendid buckskin stallion, perhaps a Neapolitan horse?

Francois I was defeated at the battle of Pavia 1525, during the Italian wars

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then his portrait of Henri II on a Neapolitan stallion?

at Upton House, National Trust, UK

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this equestrian portrait of Henri II is housed at MET - NYC.  Attributed to Couet's workshop. - king, in a comfortable and rich riding attirle, appears as a very engaged rider, with a horse whip in hand, perhaps in a style of the Italian riding style of Grisone or Fiaschi. Perhaps there is more symbolism to this painting, as it differs from the three above that in those the dynasts are portrayed as  chivalrous knights in 3/4 armor  and masters of the realm.

canvas on wood panel later transferred to canvass. 

this  chestnut stallion appears also of a Neapolitan - spirited and showing off in a trot or even a passage?

Stallion's harness is splendid, perhaps silver or of metal textile while the saddle is perhaps of the cloth of gold - silk, gold and silver. The saddle has two cinches, woven in the same ornament pattern as the saddle,.

king Henri II died after getting eye-to-brain injury from a splinter hurled from a broken lance wielded by his opponent count de Montgomery of the Scottish Guard during a joust 10 days earlier.

enjoy

Valete