Antique Portrait Of The 18th Century French School
ANTIQUE PORTRAIT OF THE 18TH CENTURY FRENCH SCHOOL
OIL ON CANVAS
Dimensions: 155 x 120 cm
Provenance: Collection of the Château de Huppy (France)
PRESENTATION OF THE PIECE
Portrait against the backdrop of what appears to be a battlefield, the French monarch Louis XIV poses in a three-quarter length, proud and self-assured, sporting a gleaming suit of burnished armor. In the 18th century, military clothing became true parade uniforms, comparable to the elegant court costumes. Refined colorful details decorate the armor: the two breastplates and the white gloves have slits at the wrists, and a lace jabot is knotted at the neck. The gleaming armor, studded with decorated fleur-de-lis flowers, and the equally gleaming helmet lend the figure a military bearing.
The rhetoric of royal power shines through in the portrait: the blue ribbon encircling the chest is a tribute to the Order of Saint-Esprit, to which the sovereign belongs; the golden lilies engraved on the elbows are the heraldic symbol of the Bourbons; and the right hand holds a baton and rests on a disused helmet. The sovereign's enormous wig ("the most baroque expression of the Baroque"). At the back, a black bow loosely ties the curls that flow down the back. To emphasize the wig so much, the hairdressers of Versailles required the complete shaving of the cheeks and face.
The refined pictorial quality and attention to detail place this painting in the workshop of the famous court portraitist Hyacinthe Rigaud.
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand) or the Sun King (le Roi Soleil), was King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest recorded of any monarch of a sovereign country in history. The France of Louis XIV was emblematic of the age of absolutism in Europe. The king surrounded himself with a variety of significant political, military, and cultural figures, such as Mazarin, Colbert, Louvois, the Grand Condé, Turenne, Vauban, Boulle, Molière, Racine, Boileau, La Fontaine, Lully, Charpentier, Marais, Le Brun, Rigaud, Bossuet, Le Vau, Mansart, Charles Perrault, Claude Perrault, and Le Nôtre.
During Louis's long reign, France emerged as the leading European power and regularly asserted its military strength. Conflict with Spain marked his entire infancy, while during his reign the kingdom took part in three major continental conflicts, each against powerful foreign alliances: the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg, and the War of the Spanish Succession. France also fought shorter wars, such as the War of Devolution and the War of the Reunions. War defined Louis's foreign policy, and his personality shaped his approach. Driven by "a mix of commerce, revenge, and resentment," he felt that war was the ideal way to enhance his glory. In peacetime, he focused on preparing for the next war. He taught his diplomats that their task was to create tactical and strategic advantages for the French army. Upon his death in 1715, Louis XIV left his great-grandson and successor, Louis XV, a powerful kingdom, albeit in serious debt after the 13-year War of the Spanish Succession.
Hyacinthe Rigaud (July 18, 1659, Perpignan, France – December 29, 1743, Paris, France)
He was one of the most important portrait painters during the reign of King Louis XIV. His instinct for impressive poses and grandiose presentations perfectly suited the tastes of the royals, ambassadors, clerics, courtiers, and financiers who sat for him. Rigaud owes his fame to the loyal support he received from the four generations of Bourbons whose portraits he painted: King Louis XIV, then his son Louis, Grand Dauphin, then the king's grandson (son of the Grand Dauphin) Louis, Duke of Burgundy (also called Petit Dauphin), and finally the Grand Dauphin's grandson (son of the Petit Dauphin), who became the next king: Louis XV, who succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV in 1715. He gathered the core of his clientele among the wealthiest circles as well as among the bourgeoisie, financiers, nobles, industrialists, and government ministers, also courting all the major ambassadors of his time and several European monarchs. His oeuvre reads like a nearly complete portrait gallery of the main promoters in France from 1680 to 1740.
THE PIECE WILL BE SHIPPED IN A WOODEN CASE AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.
OIL ON CANVAS
Dimensions: 155 x 120 cm
Provenance: Collection of the Château de Huppy (France)
PRESENTATION OF THE PIECE
Portrait against the backdrop of what appears to be a battlefield, the French monarch Louis XIV poses in a three-quarter length, proud and self-assured, sporting a gleaming suit of burnished armor. In the 18th century, military clothing became true parade uniforms, comparable to the elegant court costumes. Refined colorful details decorate the armor: the two breastplates and the white gloves have slits at the wrists, and a lace jabot is knotted at the neck. The gleaming armor, studded with decorated fleur-de-lis flowers, and the equally gleaming helmet lend the figure a military bearing.
The rhetoric of royal power shines through in the portrait: the blue ribbon encircling the chest is a tribute to the Order of Saint-Esprit, to which the sovereign belongs; the golden lilies engraved on the elbows are the heraldic symbol of the Bourbons; and the right hand holds a baton and rests on a disused helmet. The sovereign's enormous wig ("the most baroque expression of the Baroque"). At the back, a black bow loosely ties the curls that flow down the back. To emphasize the wig so much, the hairdressers of Versailles required the complete shaving of the cheeks and face.
The refined pictorial quality and attention to detail place this painting in the workshop of the famous court portraitist Hyacinthe Rigaud.
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand) or the Sun King (le Roi Soleil), was King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest recorded of any monarch of a sovereign country in history. The France of Louis XIV was emblematic of the age of absolutism in Europe. The king surrounded himself with a variety of significant political, military, and cultural figures, such as Mazarin, Colbert, Louvois, the Grand Condé, Turenne, Vauban, Boulle, Molière, Racine, Boileau, La Fontaine, Lully, Charpentier, Marais, Le Brun, Rigaud, Bossuet, Le Vau, Mansart, Charles Perrault, Claude Perrault, and Le Nôtre.
During Louis's long reign, France emerged as the leading European power and regularly asserted its military strength. Conflict with Spain marked his entire infancy, while during his reign the kingdom took part in three major continental conflicts, each against powerful foreign alliances: the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg, and the War of the Spanish Succession. France also fought shorter wars, such as the War of Devolution and the War of the Reunions. War defined Louis's foreign policy, and his personality shaped his approach. Driven by "a mix of commerce, revenge, and resentment," he felt that war was the ideal way to enhance his glory. In peacetime, he focused on preparing for the next war. He taught his diplomats that their task was to create tactical and strategic advantages for the French army. Upon his death in 1715, Louis XIV left his great-grandson and successor, Louis XV, a powerful kingdom, albeit in serious debt after the 13-year War of the Spanish Succession.
Hyacinthe Rigaud (July 18, 1659, Perpignan, France – December 29, 1743, Paris, France)
He was one of the most important portrait painters during the reign of King Louis XIV. His instinct for impressive poses and grandiose presentations perfectly suited the tastes of the royals, ambassadors, clerics, courtiers, and financiers who sat for him. Rigaud owes his fame to the loyal support he received from the four generations of Bourbons whose portraits he painted: King Louis XIV, then his son Louis, Grand Dauphin, then the king's grandson (son of the Grand Dauphin) Louis, Duke of Burgundy (also called Petit Dauphin), and finally the Grand Dauphin's grandson (son of the Petit Dauphin), who became the next king: Louis XV, who succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV in 1715. He gathered the core of his clientele among the wealthiest circles as well as among the bourgeoisie, financiers, nobles, industrialists, and government ministers, also courting all the major ambassadors of his time and several European monarchs. His oeuvre reads like a nearly complete portrait gallery of the main promoters in France from 1680 to 1740.
THE PIECE WILL BE SHIPPED IN A WOODEN CASE AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.
14 200 €
Period: 18th century
Style: Louis 14th, Regency
Condition: Excellent condition
Material: Oil painting
Width: 120
Height: 155
Reference (ID): 1733214
Availability: In stock
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