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Portrait of Louis XIV
Hyacinthe Rigaud · Baroque & Dutch Golden Age
- Artist
- Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659–1743)
- Date
- 1701
- Dimensions
- 277 x 194 cm
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
This is the most famous image of absolute monarchy: Louis XIV, the 'Sun King', aged sixty-three, standing in his coronation robes embroidered with golden fleurs-de-lis and lined with ermine, beside his throne.
A closer look
Everything is designed to impress. Heavy red velvet curtains frame the king like a stage, a classical column suggests stability, and the royal regalia surround him: the crown, the sword of Charlemagne, the sceptre held upside down like a walking stick. The king's face is that of an ageing man, painted with realism, but his pose is proud and his legs, in white silk stockings and high-heeled red shoes, are those of a dancer, displaying elegance and vigour. The portrait was so successful that it served as a model for royal portraits across Europe.