Federico Zuccaro (c. 1540/1541-1609) after, engraved by Nicolas Le Sueur (1691-1764) - Emperor Henri IV (1050-1106) at the feet of Pope Gregory VII (1020-85)

Series: Series: Recueil d'estampes d'après les plus beaux tableaux et d'après les plus beaux desseins qui sont en France

Pierre Crozat (1665-1740) was an art collector, who formed a famous collection of drawings, auctioned after his death in 1741 with a catalogue by P.J.Mariette. He also collected many other types of object, paintings, sculpture, intaglios and so forth.
Commissioned various artists to reproduce famous paintings and drawings of the era; 140 plates reproducing works from the Roman school were published under the title of 'Recueil d'estampes d'après les plus beaux tableaux et d'après les plus beaux desseins qui sont en France' (also known as 'Recueil Crozat'), published in 1729. A second volume formed by 42 prints (instead of the 110 plates initially planned) reproducing Venitian works was issued in 1737. After Crozat's death, the plates were sold to a company of booksellers who commissioned Mariette to reorganize the 'Recueil'; Mariette divided the plates into two volumes, added some missing descriptions, and advertised the set to the public in 1742. In 1764, Basan bought the plates and the text, and republished the 'Recueil', replacing the woodcuts by intaglio prints. Basan also published the 45 plates reproducing the Italian paintings from the collection of the Duc d'Orléans in a volume entitled 'Recueil d'après la gallerie du palais royal'

Emperor Henri IV (1050-1106) at the feet of Pope Gregory VII (1020-85)

Henry believed that, as king, he had the right to appoint the bishops of the German church. This was known as lay investiture. Pope Gregory, on the other hand, angrily opposed this idea because he wanted the power for himself. He responded to the emperor's attempts to name new bishops by excommunicating Henry.

On laid paper. Pencil inscription verso.