Portrait Of The King Of France Louis XIV In Armour Dating From The 17th Century.

Oval portrait of the King of France Louis XIV (1651-1715).

The Sun King is represented here shot by three-quarters and looking at the spectator in front with a Mona Lisa effect, where his piercing gaze follows you. His solemn face is impassive. His long curly wig falls on his shoulders and frames his face. The king wore the fine whiskers, which disappeared around 1686.

The king is clothed with a royal armour, decorated with fleur-de-lys, golden nails, and a few coatings of garnet velvet. The metallic reflections reinforce the realism of this armor.
He wears a white lace tie on his neck on a red ribbon knot.
His ceremonial costume is completed with a white sash, official mark of the royal power in France. It is the distinctive badge of the Bourbon kings, which they display on their official portraits.
He also wears on his armor the blue sash of the order of the Holy Spirit.
One also notices in the continuity of his left arm what could be the sceptre of Saint-Louis, the sceptre of the kings which is surmounted by a fleur-de-lys.

The prestigious character of our portrait is accentuated by the purple curtain that serves as the backdrop for the imposing figure of the monarch. The purple in antiquity was a color reserved only for emperors and became the sovereign color.
Creating a theatrical setting, the light is reflected in the armour and illuminates the face, hand and white sash whose skillfully executed drapes at sharp angles reveal the volumes and brilliance of satin.

The fine and precise brush of our artist that remains to be discovered, draws the exquisite lace and the many golden ornaments of the armor.

The posture of the king with his head held high, and the solemn staging reinforce the feeling of supremacy and majesty. To accentuate the dominant character of the king, the painter insists on the shape of the nose and chin so that it emerges from our portrait, all the power of this extraordinary personality.

Dating from the 1680s, our portrait is situated at the height of the wars of Louis XIV and his military successes, the king favors the commissions of portraits in armour, rather than in court dress, Thus claiming the belligerent character of the sovereign and the importance of the wars he waged. The war, moreover, was for Louis XIV the privileged instrument of his prestige and of the omnipotence of the kingdom which he had to embody.
The image of the warrior king conveyed by his portraits, the unshakeable character of his position, of divine origin is also a warning against former sympathizers of the Sling.
This warning is reinforced by the Latin inscriptions that frame the painting:

“LVDoVICVs Rex MagnVs, DVrI SuB Ipso pereVntIs haeretICI stImVLVs”

The light coming from the left models the face leaving a part in the shade. This sculptural effect brings depth and a more realistic aspect to the portrait. He reveals to us a man in all power but whose age is approaching forty.
The bust portraits of the monarch were used as diplomatic gifts, but were also commissioned by the nobility to prove their admiration and devotion to the Sun King.

Of very beautiful format, the painting is sold with a tailor-made marble imitation rear frame that suits it perfectly.

Old restorations are present.

Like most of the paintings of that time, it is not signed to my knowledge. Of high quality, there is certainly a nice discovery to make for those who will know to whom to attribute it.

On sight dimension : 89 x 65 cm
Dimension with frame : 105 x 84 cm

The photos are taken in natural light.
Neat packaging.
Shipping costs at the expense of the buyer.
I remain at your disposal for any further information and photos.