Portrait of Louis XIV

Hyacinthe Rigaud painted the Portrait of Louis XIV in 1701, creating what became the most recognizable image of the Sun King. The monumental oil on canvas measures 277 x 194 cm and shows the sixty-two-year-old monarch in coronation robes embroidered with the royal fleur-de-lis, standing in a pose of absolute authority.

The portrait was commissioned as a gift for King Philip V of Spain, Louis's grandson. But it proved so successful at court that a copy was sent to Spain instead, while the original remained at Versailles. Rigaud executed the face on a small separate canvas, later sewn onto the larger composition, allowing him to achieve the finest detail in the King's features.

Louis wears the key elements of Baroque court fashion: elaborate cravat, red heels, and an enormous wig. The goddess Justice appears on a column at left. Rigaud's purpose was not to capture personality but to glorify the monarchy. The painting hung at Versailles until 1793, when the Revolution transferred it to what became the Louvre.