HORIBA Scientific aids identification of King Henri IV’s head

King Henri IV was one of France’s favourite monarchs. He died in 1610 assassinated by a religious fanatic named Ravaillac. During the French Revolution in 1793, the royal tombs in the Saint-Denis Basilica were desecrated and during this event Henri IV’s body was beheaded. Since then his head disappeared and passed through various hands of private collectors. Very recently his head was rediscovered and a group of scientist decided to confirm its identification.

Philippe Charlier, a leading forensic medical specialist, has been leading a group of 20 scientists with the identification of the head using multiple scientific techniques including radiocarbon testing, embalming procedures and spectroscopic analysis.

The examination showed up morphological features identified on several of the king’s portraits and paintings as a dark lesion above the right nostril. The radiocarbon testing carried out on the head confirmed it dated back to the 16th century. Other techniques required perfumer expertise. Specialists from the perfumer Guerlain identified embalming substances used on the head. They were found to correspond to the products and the embalming techniques used during that period and reported in official documents written by the King’s surgeons.

HORIBA Scientific was involved in the identification of a black substance at the base of the royal neck.  Analyses using a LabRAM ARAMIS Raman microscope confirmed the substance to be Ivory Black (a variety of amorphous carbon).  This material, obtained by anaerobic calcination of animal bones, is known (through sixteenth century medical journals) to have been used by the King’s surgeon to absorb decomposition fluids and putrefactive gas.  The clear identification of Ivory Black on the mummified head provided valuable evidence that it was the head of a Royal.  With the results of many other interdisciplinary analyses the confident identification of the head as belonging to Henri IV is possible.

King Henri IV’s head will officially re-enter the Royal Tombs in the Basilica of Saint Denis in 2012.  A National Ceremony will officially mark this event.