Monument to Henri II and Catherine de' Medici (detail)

Like the tombs for Louis XII and Anne of Brittany and for Francis I, this is an architectural monument and ensemble of sculpture, in this case commissioned by the Queen for her husband. Originally it was in a mausoleum - a rotunda - within the north transept designed for the Valois kings. It was torn down in the early 18th century. The original plan is usually credited to Primaticcio but the tomb was not actually erected by the time of his death in 1570. The history of the subsequent commissions is complex, but today scholars credit Germain Pilon with the sculptures.

Like the tomb for Louis XII and Anne of Brittany, this one also has praying figures on the top. However, here instead of being posed with praying hands, as his wife is and as in earlier examples, Henry covers his breast with his right hand and reaches out with his left - to his prayer desk and liturgical book. (During the French Revolution the two prayer desks were melted down.) While the praying - and alive - figures traditionally represent a new life in eternity, here the pair, wearing coronation garments, also represent "the trustees of the kingdom of France within the Kingdom of heaven" so that the after life is imagined as a copy of the earthly life.

The photo shows the praying figures on the top.