Portrait of Francis I, King of France  1530

[i]Workshop of Joos van Cleve[/i] [br]By the early 16th century rulers began to recognize the political value of distributing portraits of themselves to followers as a way of reminding them of, and rewarding them for, their allegiance. In this, Francis I, King of France from 1515 to 1547, was very adept. Here, he presents himself as fashionably elegant, pious (the religiou...