François Ier, Charles Quint et la duchesse d'Étampes by Richard Parkes Bonington

Bonington's François Ier, Charles Quint et la duchesse d'Étampes of 1827 depicts the meeting between the French king and the Habsburg emperor at the court of the king's mistress Anne de Pisseleu — a scene from the reign of François I that allowed Bonington to combine his mastery of Renaissance costume and interior with historical anecdote. The painting demonstrates his facility at historical genre subjects beyond his pure landscape work, and its rich material observation — silks, armor, architectural ornament — shows the breadth of his technical interests in his final year before his death at twenty-six.

Bonington renders the Renaissance court scene with vivid, luminous color and remarkably free brushwork for such a detailed subject. The rich costumes and the animated interaction between the three figures create a miniature drama of exceptional visual charm.