Henri IV King of the French (1553-1610)

All pictures rights ADAGP Paris 2023

Henri IV de Bourbon was assassinated in 1610, and buried in the Saint Denis basilic in Paris. The french revolutionary national convention ordered the brutal desecration of royal graves of the basilic (46 Kings, 32 Queens, 63 Princes, and various high-rank officials) in 1793. The corpse of HenriIV was exposed to the public for days, then it is said his head was chopped off. His remains disappeared dumped into mass graves with all the other royals.

Then in a twist of history in 1919 a mummified head said to be the head of HenriiV was sold in a junk store for 3Francs in Paris. In 2010 a forensic study confirmed 23 historical and anthropological arguments in favor of the theory that the severed head was in fact the King’s skull.

Black and white illustration of a sarcophagus with a mummy inside and a sculpted head of King Henry IV, with French text describing it as a mask of Henry IV taken during his exhumation by sculptor Comèprot.

Client
AnthropoLAB / Editions Vuibert.

Paris, France.

Year
2012

Painting of a man with gray hair and beard, wearing a ruffled collar, black armor, and a sash with a medal, set against a dark reddish background.
A grayscale 3D medical scan or rendering of a human skull viewed from the side, showing the jaw, nasal cavity, and upper part of the spine.
A human skull with black and white checkered markers attached to various points, likely for scientific or 3D modeling purposes, against a dark background.

AnthropoLAB/Charlier

Digital 3D models of human facial anatomy, showcasing the nose, front, and side views, with detailed textures and structures.

2012

3D rendering of a skull with damaged or eroded features, viewed from the front-left angle.
Three detailed 3D models of human head sculptures. The first is a realistic bust of an older man with a beard and an earring, likely a historical figure. The second shows anatomical details of a human head with exposed muscles, nerves, and blood vessels in a side view. The third focuses on the muscles and nerves around the eye in a close-up view.
Close-up black and white photo of an elderly man with a wavy beard and mustache, wearing a white ruffled collar, with his face filling most of the frame.
A white sculpture bust of a bearded man with a serious expression, placed on a ridged circular base against a dark background.
A worn, aged human skull with missing teeth resting on a green surface.
Portrait of an elderly man with gray hair, blue eyes, and a full beard and mustache, wearing a ruffled white collar against a dark background.
3D digital sculpture of an elderly man's head, showing detailed facial features, wrinkles, and textured skin.