Clovis, Clotilde, Clotaire I and Clotaire II, Frankish Kings, 1842

This original antique lithograph, colored by hand, is a plate from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842) showing four crowned figures of the early French monarchy in two panels. Upper left, a bearded king in a red mantle over a white robe with a gold hem holds a gold scepter and a scroll. Upper right, a queen wears a gold crown and veil, a long blue mantle, a red bodice, a white skirt and a gold girdle with long hanging ends. Below, two more bearded kings stand in crimson mantles: the one at left wears a white and pale yellow robe and holds a scepter and a closed book, the one at right a yellow tunic with a scepter and a long scroll. All four stand on a strip of grassy ground.

The top margin is lettered "T. IV" at left, "FRANCIA" in the center and "Tav 18" at right. The captions read "Clodoveo" (Clovis) and "Clotilde" (Clotilde) under the upper panel, and "Clotario 1°" (Clotaire I) and "Clotario II°" (Clotaire II) under the lower one.

Clovis I united the Franks under the Merovingian dynasty and was baptized a Christian; his wife Clotilde was later venerated as a saint. Clotaire I was one of their sons and reigned over the whole Frankish kingdom in the last years of his life. Clotaire II, his grandson, likewise ruled the reunited kingdom in the early seventh century.

With its four full length figures in clear colors, the plate suits a collection of royal portraits or of French history.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.