Shop art print and framed art Portrait en pied de Louis XIV âgé de 63 ans en grand costume royal (1638-1715) by Hyacinthe Rigaud

The portrait of Louis XIV in coronation costume was painted in 1701 by the French painter Hyacinthe Rigaud in response to a commission from the monarch, who wanted to satisfy the wishes of his grandson, Philippe V. Louis XIV commissioned one and had it hung in Versailles. Because of its brilliance and quality, this portrait has become the "official portrait" of Louis XIV. When the Spanish king Charles II died on 18 November 1700, Spain was prey to the dynastic appetites of the other European powers, leading to a war of succession. However, the King's will ruled out any idea of partition and named Philip, Duke of Anjou, second son of the Grand Dauphin and grandson of Louis XIV, as the first legitimate claimant to the crown. The future young King of Spain, keen to take his grandfather's image with him, convinced Louis XIV to commission Hyacinthe Rigaud to paint what was to become the absolute image of royal power and the benchmark portrait for generations to come: These were the words of Hyacinthe Rigaud, via a friend, in the autobiography he sent to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosme III de' Medici, in 1716. These comments are supported by the mention of the corresponding payment in the artist's account books in 1701: "Le Roy et le roy d'Espagne, et une copie du portrait du Roy de la même grandeur que l'orig[in]al pour Sa Majesté catholique, le tout 26.000# [livres]", i.e. the price of three paintings. The same payment is recorded in the accounts of the royal buildings on 16 [...]

 

This artwork is a painting from the classical period. It belongs to the baroque style.

 

« Portrait en pied de Louis XIV âgé de 63 ans en grand costume royal (1638-1715) » is kept at Musée et Domaine National de Versailles et de Trianon, Versailles, France.

 

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