Artwork: Equestrian Portrait of Louis XIV

Artist: Charles Lebrun

Created: c. 1668

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 329 x 187 cm

Location: Musée de la Chartreuse, Douai, France

—————————————————

‘’When Charles Lebrun (1619-90) was appointed First Painter to France’s King Louis XIV in 1662, it marked his ascension to a virtual dictatorship over French art.

Lebrun’s version of classicism was imposed as the rule of taste through the Academy, which he also headed, and he controlled the vast building projects of the Sun King’s reign, including the royal palace at Versailles. Lebrun’s talent, however, was in no way diminished by being devoted to the glorification of royal authority. This fine portrait shows the king as an energetic monarch in his early thirties, sitting out to prove himself through leadership in the first of the many wars that would mark his reign. The shiny black armour relevais his material intent, but it is the pose of the horse that contributes most to the dynamic effect.

The portrayal of a ruler on a rearing horse was not unprecedented Louis’s father-in-law Philip IV of Spain was painted in the similar pose by Rubens, but the French king is presented as surprisingly relaxed an confident on his steed. He is looking away to the side, rather than fixing the viewer with a haughty stare as might have been expected. Handsome and stylish, he shows his authority through the firmness with which he controls his lively mount. Light floods in form the left to illuminate the horse’s exaggerated barrel chest and the rider’s three-quarter profile. The backdrop of landscape, curtain, and pillars is little more than a formal sitting for man and horse. This is a portrait devoid of pomposity, full of dash and boldness, showcasing a ruler in the springtime of his reign. (RG)

#1transcribedtext #1001beforeyoudiecollection #equestrian #webgalleryofvisualart #equestrianstyle