1 For the first time, the Château LOUIS XIV, 2 2 plan 10 de Versailles devotes a large-scale the man and the king room 1 rooms 5-1 # 5-2 exhibition to Louis XIV The glory of the king Th e portrait of the king Th e taste of the king 4 room 2 room 6 Th e royal manufactories were associated Th e glory of the king Music, dance and room 3 festivities 1 with the creation and dissemination 2 7 A diplomatic gift from the Republic of The Very Christian 14 Th e king of peace room 7 of masterpieces designed to immortalise Venice, the exceptional coat of arms king and the king’s and the king of war Architecture, the art directed by Nicolas Milovanovic and Alexandre Maral, The portrait the glory of Louis XIV. Unfortunately, presented here is decorated with episodes physical body room 4 of the curators of the Château de Versailles, EXHIBITION CUrATOrSHIP. of the king a large part of their products has and the king’s animals 3 from the fi rst military campaign under- Th e Very Christian disappeared: in particular, only two of king and the king’s rooms 8-1 # 8-2 taken by Louis XIV in person, during Since the Middle Ages, the king of With Louis XIV, the portrait of the monumental cabinets made by physical body Th e myth Colbert, the great servitor of the , In contrast, we can admire a much greater The king of peace of the War of Devolution (1667-1668). was called the Very Christian Louis XIV was also very much a man, « Louis xiv, the man and the king » brings together more the king attained an unprecedented Domenico Cucci and Pierre Gole for was the principal artisan in number of the hangings and and the king of war Th e other paintings of this room evoke King. He was also a miracle-working in no way insensible to female beauty. than 300 exceptional works coming from collections all richness. Since Alexander and the king have survived. Exceptionally the construction of the king’s image. produced by the Gobelins and certain decisive moments of the Dutch king, with the power to cure scrofula Blessed with a particularly robust Augustus, no sovereign had been loaned by the Duke of Northumberland, over the world and never shown together before. All the artistic genres and techniques Savonnerie and dye workshops. Th e image of Louis XIV always combines War (1672-1678) during which Louis XIV (the king’s evil), as can be seen in constitution, he was nevertheless marked given such learned and elaborate the cabinet presented here testifi es were brought to bear to create Th e woven series on the theme of the twofold fi gure of the king of peace emerged as a true king of war. It was the painting by presented by age and illness and never required iconographic treatment. Th e greatest to their magnifi cence: it was on display a multiform image, whose most the history of the king was one of the and the king of war. Th e king is only aft er the Siege of Namur, in 1692, here. Like his mother his portrait artists to hide these eff ects. artists of the period were called upon in the Grand Appartement in Versailles 1 34 Paintings, sculptures, objets d’art and furniture will obvious aspect was : Louis XIV most prestigious. Th ese works are the guarantor of the prosperity of the that the king defi nitively stopped showing and his wife Maria Teresa, Louis XIV Th e extraordinary wax portrait by to fi x the portrait of the king for and has now returned for the fi rst be exhibited. These masterpieces, some of which have never is of course the Sun King, able to outstanding in their quality and their kingdom: this is the theme of numerous himself at the head of his troops. was always scrupulous in carrying out Antoine Benoist shows him with all the posterity. In 1665, Bernini came from time to the Château for which it was been presented in France since the days of the Ancien govern more than one kingdom and scale. Th e same goes for the large public monuments erected during his religious duties. He manifested his striking details of inevitable physical Italy to design a heroic bust of the created. Régime, will enable visitors to get to know the famous make it prosper as the sun lights up equestrian portraits and paintings at his reign, notably the eastern façade of piety by the construction of the Hôtel decrepitude. entrance 5-1 young sovereign treated in the monarch better in both his public image and through his and fecundates more than one earth. Marly, vestiges of a dazzling decor that the for which numerous projects Royal des Invalides for his soldiers mode, a masterpiece to which has disappeared. were studied. Th e grandeur of the kingdom and, another exceptional monument, personal tastes. Louis XIV always remained attached. is also manifested in the ambassadorial the royal chapel of the of Th irty-six years later, the portrait missions received from sovereigns Versailles. of the aged king by 8-2 65-2 in the far corners of the known world: presents, in a diff erent spirit, an image the most famous were the embassies just as majestic. Th ese two icons 6. Portrait of of Siam in 1686, and Persia in 1715, both sum up the image of the king that Jean-Baptiste Colbert, 1. Louis XIV as Apollo Claude Lefèvre of which were received in the Hall posterity has preserved. Triumphing over 3 5 7. King Louis XIV of Mirrors. 17 the Serpent Python, 17. Saint Benedict and Visiting the Gobelins Joseph Werner 14. Th e Holy Spirit Saint Scholastica 8-1 Tapestry Workshop..., Descending Presenting Louis XIV, 2. Portrait of Louis XIV, 13th piece of the Tapestry In another register, the artist of upon the Apostles, Anne of Austria of the History of the King, Jean Jouvenet and Philippe d’Anjou to Flemish origin Adam François Van der 3. Apollo and Th etis, aft er 15. Louis XIV Off ering the Holy Trinity, 11 15 Meulen highlights the king in his 8. A peer’s very large 10. Th e Reception of 12. Th e First Inductees his Crown and Philippe de Champaigne 4. Louis XIV as Apollo study, Domenico Cucci the Embassy of Persia, of the Knights of residences or on his military campaign Sceptre to the Virgin, 18. Louis XIV, painted Driving His Chariot, Anonymous the Order of Saint Louis, 7 9. Portrait of Louis XIV Philippe de Champaigne white beeswax relief, with a very fi ne and subtle handling Joseph Werner François Marot of colour and, above all, remarkable on Horseback 11. Louis XIV’s Armour, 16. Louis XIV Touching painted glass eyes, hair, 5. Mask of Apollo, in front of Namur, Giovanni Battista and 13. Th e King Governs the Scrofula-Stricken, lace, etc..., topographical precision. 4 6 8 9 Anonymous Francesco da Garbagnate Alone, Charles Le Brun 12 13 Jean Jouvenet Antoine Benoist 16 18 ÉTABLISSEMENT PUBLIC DU MUSÉE ET DU DOMAINE NATIONAL DE VERSAILLES 20 21 26 rP 834 – 78 008 VErsAILLES CEDEX information and reservation au 01 30 83 78 00 7 www.chateauversailles.fr 28

19 In painting, Louis XIV fostered a At the beginning of his reign, the king Architecture, the art 27 Th e exhibition is organised by the public institution of the museum personal relationship with his successive took part in the organisation of the garden and the national estate of Versailles. leading painters, Charles Le Brun and and holding of dazzling festivities. and the king’s animals Th is exhibition is produced thanks to the sponsorship of Moët Hennessy opening times Graphic design Copyright and Saint-Gobain 5-1 # 5-2 Pierre Mignard, several of whose 6 Immortalised by miniatures and 8-1 # 8-2 Th e Palace is open every Department of information © Château de Versailles | masterpieces are presented here. For engravings, the most splendid were those Versailles and its satellites, Marly and day except Mondays, on and communication, Jean-Marc Manaï the taste of the king the Portement de croix (Carrying of the music, dance held in at the Carrousel des Tuileries Le mythe certain French public château de Versailles, based © RMN | J.-J. Schormans Trianon, testifi ed to the king’s taste for holidays, or when offi cial on des Signes, Paris. © RMN | G. Blot Cross) painted by Mignard, Louis XIV and festivities in 1662 and, in Versailles, the festivities architecture and the art of the garden, with the support of Creations Metaphors for tissue ceremonies are held: © RMN | H. Lewandovski Th e recent fi ndings of art historians asked Le Brun to produce a pendant on of 1664, 1668 and 1674. two domains in which the king Th e image of Louis XIV was also built up and Vincent Guerre for mirrors high season © RMN | D. Arnaudet © Museum für Kunst und have revealed that Louis XIV was a the theme of the Elevation de la croix Th roughout his reign, the king was involved himself to the point of taking on the margin of or outside of the royal 9am to 6.30pm, with the media partnership of Mk2, Arts Magazine, last admission: 6pm. Gewerbe, Hambourg fervent lover of art. Th is taste was partly (Raising of the Cross) so that they could a passionate lover of music. His part in their design. administration. Th e bronze © Yazid Medmoun | AOA L’Express, France Télévisions et RTL. low season inherited from Mazarin and covered go on display in the Billiards Room. encouragement was decisive for the career of the sovereign erected in the centre of Conseil général de 9am to 5.30pm la Somme decorated gems, rare, fi ne and precious of Lully, creator of the French lyrical the principal towns of the kingdom last admission: 5pm. © Bibliothèque municipale stones set in magnifi cent surrounds. tragedy. Th e melody of a piece of music provide the most spectacular illustration de Versailles 23. Th e Pleasures of © Musée de l'Armée, distr. Louis XIV possessed a great number of heard in his childhood and dictated the Enchanted Island, During his reign there was a prodigious of this. Although they were destroyed Th ereaft er, Le Brun produced his last RMN, Paris them and liked to leave them on display from memory by the aged king constitutes 7, 8 and 9 May 1664. development in the art of garden during the Revolution, the reliefs © Collection du duc The presents canvasses for the king by developing a Th ird Day. Breaking statuary. Among the most original of de Northumberland on consoles in front of mirrors. For the a particularly moving document, 19. Ship, lapis, of the Spell on the Palace that accompanied them have survived fi rst time, this type of presentation is cycle of scenes of the Passion. Painted by apart from showing his exceptional enamelled gold, gilt and Island of Alcine the groves, the Labyrinth of Versailles, by chance: those of the Place des Victoires Louis II of Boullogne, Nicolas Tournier silver, Italy, Represented by Fireworks, evoked here in drawings of the period. talent. Louis XIV was also until mid-16th century now disappeared, held over three in Paris, executed by Desjardins, and Valentin de Boulogne, the paintings Israël Silvestre and Th e king also liked small bronze 1670 an outstanding dancer. Th e ballet 20. A peer’s chest of Jean Lepautre hundred animals cast in lead. Louis XIV and those of the monument in Rennes by presented in the upper part come from sculptures, which he mixed with the costume presented here is the only drawers (detail), 24. Th e Entertainments also appreciated living animals which Coysevox. Among the royal busts presented gems and paintings that he accumulated the overdoors and the attic of the king’s survivor of this period when French André Charles Boulle of Versailles, July and were taken care of in the Menagerie here, the one by François Girardon in the refi ned setting of his collector’s bedchambers in Versailles. Th e two choreographic art fl ourished. 21. Indian Timpanist August 1674. Second Day. of Versailles. He had them painted also, is particularly remarkable for its depiction commodes by André-Charles Boulle and Trumpets, Concerts Beneath Foliage apartment in Versailles. Among the François Chauveau and in the Form of a Room, such as his favourite hunting dogs. of the king in all his majesty and humanity. treasures presented separately were and the desk by Pierre Gole are among Jacques 1er Bailly Decorated with Flowers, In the homes of his people, engraved miniatures, and notably the “vellums of the very rare pieces of furniture of 22. Th e Pleasures of in the Trianon Garden, Almanacs disseminated an image of the Louis XIV to have survived. His furniture the Enchanted Island, Jean Lepautre the Museum”, as well as the antique 7, 8 and 9 May 1664. 25. Th e Entertainments king oft en at odds with the offi cial cameos and medals of the king’s was dispersed during the reign of his First Day. Th e King’s and of Versailles, July and iconography. Histoire métallique. successor in sales organised by the royal Queens’ Feast, with August 1674. Fourth Day. 22 24 the man $ the king Furniture Storekeeper. In order to sell Several Princesses and Feast, with the Table Set Ladies, Served All around the marquetry panels separately, the most the Dishes and Presents in the Marble Courtyard sumptuous pieces of furniture were Made by the Gods of the Chateau de 26. View of the 27. Portrait of Louis XIV, a sterling EXhibition Hyacinthe Rigaud dismantled. and the Four Seasons, Versailles, above which Courtyards and Stables 20 october 2009 — 7 february 2010 Israël Silvestre and a of Light Rises, of the Château 28. Louis XIV 23 25 Jean Lepautre Jean Lepautre de Versailles, on Horseback, Jean-Baptiste Martin François Girardon