Admiral Gaspard II de Coligny
1565-70
Meet Gaspard II de Coligny, a French admiral who looks like he means business in this striking portrait by François Clouet. Dressed in severe black velvet with a fancy white ruff and a heavy gold chain—the badge of the Order of Saint Michael—he was a major player in 16th-century French politics. As a leader of the Huguenots (French Protestants), he was a thorn in the side of the Catholic monarchy. Sadly, this dignified image was painted just before his assassination in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, a horrific event that kicked off years of religious war.
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