Portrait of King Louis XIII of France1611 · Study 2003.225

Context from the museum

Although ten-year-old Louis XIII was king of France, his mother Marie de’ Medici remained in power until the boy officially came of age. Pourbus inscribed the sitter’s age and the painting’s year in the composition: “The holy year 1611 at his age of 10 years.” Marie de’ Medici commissioned this work as she negotiated marriages for her two children to Philip III of Spain and Mary Marguerite of Austria, alliances that led to the European domination of the next two centuries by the Bourbon and Habsburg families.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

While the color pink has feminine associations now, it was commonly worn by girls and boys alike in the 1600s.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Portrait of King Louis XIII of France is 95.3 cm wide and 159.3 cm high, equivalent to approximately 37.5 × 62.7 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.60:1. The rectangular bounding area is 1.52 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 31.8% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 102.3 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Portrait of King Louis XIII of France in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 95.3 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?