KING LOUIS XIV -- THE SUN KING

KING LOUIS XIV

 King Louis XIV if most known for his flamboyancy but as this article shows he was a highly intelligent and capable king in many ways. He cared and loved France. King Louis XIV brought it into the golden era for which it is still known...

The king reigned for 72 years and history labelled him as the Sun King. His buildings were of supreme grandeur. He had a great knowledge of French culture, literature, paintings and architecture.

At the age of four, in 1643, he became King Louis XIV of France. It was unfortunate that in the same year his chief minister Cardinal Mazarin died; whom he could trust. King Louis XIV ruled as an absolute monarch over the most popular country in Europe till he died in 1715.

Louis established a united France with a stable politic which led to a wealthy country. This again provided a ground on which art and craft flourished. To him, art was something to show the supremacy of France in Europe. The state organized art and craft to show the glory of France and himself the King. His chief minister, Jean Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) organized largely the artistic production. However, Louis XIV decided over politics himself. Usual, when the art is state controlled, it is dull. However, the French showed an unbelievable supreme grandeur and self-confidence.

VERSAILLES

VERSAILLES IN 1722

VERSAILLES -- FAMOUS HALL OF MIRROR

VERSAILLES  ONE OF THE BEDROOMS

ONE OF VERSAILLES' GARDENS

Before the Sun King came to power there was the usual little building in France. He change all that dramatically. He built noble new buildings in classical style to show the glory during his reign. The finest architectures in Paris were commissioned by Louis XIV. The architect, Jules Hardouin Mansart (164-1708) established the graceful colonnaded Place Vendome, where the Ritz Hotel also was built. The bridge Pont Royal over the Seine was built as well as the Tuileries. The wide streets and grand house in Faubourg Saint Germain and Faubourg St Honore were built during his time. In 1676 Louis had the Les Invalides, a veteran's hospital for 7000 old and wounded soldiers, built.

Sebastien de Vauban (1633-1707) was a military engineer and redesigned the fortresses protecting France's borders. Any military architecture designed by Vauban was a great work of art. He was a genius.

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The King began with the Louvre to be extended and in his day it was a fortified royal palace, now it houses an incredible art collection. He engaged the Italian baroque architect Bernini (1598-1680) to design the new east front of the Louvre. The King rejected the plan and commissioned an unknown architect, Charles Perault. The classic style had to be French.

Undoubtedly, the most famous of his building is the magnificent Palace of Versailles. It embodied the very symbol of the Sun King. It emphasizes the French politics and artistic sophistication in not only in the buildings but gardens and ceremonies.

Originally, it was a hunting lodge which was built by his father (King Louis XIII). When Louis was a teenager, he and his friends, would have parties there and to be away from adults of the court.

In 1661 at another party at the newly completed country house at Vaux-le-Vicomte, south-east of Paris, given by his Minister of Finance, Nicholas Fouquet (1615-1680) inviting 6000 guest; King Louis had the inspiration of constructing his new palace of Versailles.

Fouquet gave a lavish party with ballets, theatrical performance and a whale-shaped boat from which a firework was displayed, slowly moving down the man-made waterway. It dawned on the King that Fouquet was a very wealthy man judging by the scale of the château and the entertainment. It didn't take a month and Louis had him arrested for embezzlement. He also stopped any powerful minister after that.

Louis looded his chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte and took statues, orange trees, tapestries and silver to Versailles. Not only that, he also took the three main designers LeVau, LeBrun and LeNotre.

When LeVau died (1612-1670) his designs did not materialize because Jules Hardouin Mansart took over as the King's architect. The designs can only be seen in prints.

Mansart, however, excelled himself with the famous work of the Galerie  des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) which were built between 1678 and 1684. The mirrors were rare and an expensive luxury in those days, were used in an extravagant amount. Between the mirrors are pilasters of green marble. Gilded trophies sit on the richly decorated cornice (an ornamental marble projecting out all along the top of the wall). The vaulted ceiling is covered with paintings by LeBrun.

Andre LeNotre(1613-1705) was the director of the royal gardens. He was the greatest garden designer in his time. The design shows clearly the principles of the age. It is celebration of the power of reason and bringing order over the chaos of nature. He also designed the Champs Elysees in Paris and is even more known by this work. He always worked with charactistic formality of straight lines and geometric patterns.

He didn't like colourful flowers and planted ten of thousands of mature trees in Versailles from everywhere in France. Water fountains and ponds where all over the gardens and at its height there were 1400 fountains connected by a complex pumping system.

Sculpture was to found all over the gardens. The classical style of the Roman gods and goddess showed King Louis of his admiration for the ancient Rome and his orderly power.

Versailles also was a showcase of French power, unity and centralized authority of the King. Diplomats and overseas visitors came and admired the arts and crafts. They subsequently ordered the finest and most fashionable products of France and therefore Versailles improved export.

When the King came to power; France was almost bankrupt. Apparently, even the Crown Jewels were in pawn. All the luxury goods were imported from Italy. Therefore, he set about to improve trade. He was determined to be freed from imports. He and Colbert brought the best craftsmen from Europe. From Italy the glassworkers. From England the goldsmiths. From Germany the metalworkers. They set up workshops and made them train the French people.

He doubled the import tariffs in 1667 on certain goods. Colbert established the Crown Furniture Works at Goblin, It is a private company since 1662 but the aim was to serve the King.  They also produced a solid silver suite for the King's study.  It was melted down to pay for the wars.

The artistic director, Charles LeBrun (1619-1690), brought the Goblin factory to great fame with their tapestry weavers, cabinetmakers, jewellers and metalworkers. The furniture produced was richly ornamented and heavy. There were curves, scrolls, antique motifs, inlay work in brass, tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl was particularly prized.

Louis XIV continued the collection of painting already started by King Francois I (1494-1547). He bought the Mona Lisa and other Leonardo masterpieces. Another painting is Raphael's St John and Domenichina's King David.

An Academy of Painting was established in 1648. In 1661 it was controlled by Colbert and he increased its power. Artists were taught in a modified version of Italian baroque. The state would employ those who followed it.

Charles LeBrun was a genius of an interior designer. He also produced paintings of high quality. In 1552 he became the King's painter-in-chief. He became so powerful that he set the style of pomp, formality and opulence of the Sun King's court. He designed most of the statues, furniture, tapestries, silverware and carpets in Versailles.

LeBrun was a follower of Poussin. Poussin and Claude Lorrain were the finest French painters at the time. They lived in Italy and the Sun King tried but couldn't tempt them to return to France.

The thousands of courtiers lived in Versailles were entertained. Gambling was one of it. In the evening there were new plays performed or firework displays, masque and ballet. The King loved ballet and would participate. He was a good dancer.

The King loved music. First thing in the morning he heard music from the courtyard in Versailles. In the chapel Motets was played by Lully. At dinner time violins were played. In the summer the king would take a gondola on the Versailles canal and the musicians followed on a floating concert platform. His favourite musician was Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) and made him Master of the King's Music.

As the end of 17th Century neared so did the glory years of Versailles. The war was draining the finances and moral. The style and pomp could not survive the decline of France and the death of the Sun King in 1715. The courtiers left for Paris. The glory of Versailles and France was at the end.