Visual: Louis XIV features an extremely large image of Louis XIV himself standing with one foot facing to the left of the work, and one foot facing out towards the viewer. As such, his body is somewhat twisted, but ultimately faces out towards the viewer. He has his left hand on his left hip just above a very ornate sword hilt, and his luxurious purple robes part to display nearly the full length of both of his legs. His right hand extends to grasp a cane, which meets the floor somewhere to the left and behind his body. He is surrounded by the absolute image of luxury, from the ornate floor, to the massive pillar behind him, to the richly colored red curtain that hangs above and behind him.

Context: According to the Louvre’s website, the work was originally commissioned as a work for Phillip V of Spain, but upon being seen, it was so popular that the court that it was never sent to Spain. The image was popular because it was considered the absolute perfect image of an absolute monarch. From the king’s stance, to the fleur de lys, to the coronation robes, and the luxurious surroundings, the piece conveyed the immense power of the Sun King.  

Subjective: Quite frankly, I think the work is rather disgusting, and is certainly far from pleasing to the eye. While I understand that Louis XIV was considered one of the greatest kings that France has ever had, I would personally be initially made to assume that he was a ridiculous and tyrannical dictator with an ego a thousand times larger than his brain. Obviously, that would be as far from an accurate read as a person could ever make, but the vanity and ego involved in the various representations of Louis XIV still bothers me.