Plate CV – Le Roi Soleil …
The equestrian Sun King (even without much sun) continues to survey all who enter his courtyard.
Versailles remains his enduring monument. This statue of Louis, also known as Louis Le Grand, or Le Grand Monarque dominates the forecourt of the palace. He remains the greatest symbol of the absolute power of the monarchy of the classical age. Having inherited the throne at an age of ‘not yet five’, the early years of his reign saw France ruled by his Prime Minister, the Cardinal Mazarin, from whom Louis acquired his tastes for the arts and for grand display. On Mazarin’s death, at the age of twenty-three the young Louis astounded his court by his announcement that, in view of his divine rights, he would assume the full rule of his kingdom. Although judgements of Louis XIV remain divided by political views, none can deny he wanted a powerful, magnificent France and for his life he delivered what Voltaire called ‘an eternally memorable age.’
Versailles, viewed at the time of its construction as an extravagant folly, endures to this day as one of France’s greatest (and most visited) splendours.
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