L'Empereur Henri IV aux pieds du Pape Grégoire VII
Paris: Imprimerie Royale, c1730. Chiaroscuro woodcut from two blocks (olive brown, tan), and etching on buff laid paper, 17 1/2 x 8 1/2 (443 x 215 mm); sheet 17 3/4 x 9 inches (450 x 217 mm), narrow margins. From a drawing by Federico Zuccari, with the artist's name written in black ink on the verso in an early hand. In very good condition with minor surface soiling and attenuation, and with a small loss at the top-right sheet corner, outside of the platemark. Condition is consistent with age. A fine example of this work, which is plate No. 90 from the series Le Cabinet di Monsieur Crozat. Etching by Anne Claude Philippe de Tubières, Comte de Caylus.
The image depicts an event which occurred during the Investiture Controversy in 1077. Here we see the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV humbling himself before Pope Gregory VII at Canossa Castle, in effort to be granted absolution and lift his excommunication.
Item number: 2341
Price: $2,000.00
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