Louis XIV’s Power Portrait: How Rigaud Makes You Bow

Silk stockings, an ermine cloak, and a pair of very proud calves. Why did the most powerful man in Europe want you to look at his legs? My friends, it's Sun King time. In this episode of Art History Fun with Dr. Bryan, we look at Hyacinthe Rigaud's portrait of Louis XIV (1701), the painting that set the standard for royal power portraits, now in the Louvre. In his sixties, the Sun King wanted to be seen not just as a ruler, but as the center of the universe, and Rigaud delivered: a low viewpoint that makes you look up at the king, a billowing curtain of blue velvet and gold, the crown and the hand of justice at his side, a cloak lined with ermine, and those famous legs, trained by years of court ballet. We'll see how Louis turned the Royal Academy into a propaganda machine, how this portrait opened the door to the Rococo, and why George Washington's Lansdowne portrait owes it so much. CHAPTERS 0:00 Why the silk stockings? 0:36 Behold the Sun King 1:13 A man with his own gravity 1:50 Blinding everyone with royal light 2:02 Art as state propaganda 2:56 The gateway to the Rococo 4:02 Forced to look up 4:18 The royal calves 4:41 The curtain and the throne 5:00 Props of power 5:29 An ermine cloak 5:56 Not a man, a monument 6:12 George Washington's version Who has the ultimate power portrait? Tell me in the comments. WATCH NEXT After the Sun King came the Rococo: pastel colors, garden parties, and a very famous swing →    • Fragonard's The Swing: Who's Hiding in the...   MORE BAROQUE MASTERS Caravaggio, Rubens, Bernini, and others keep the drama high →    • Baroque Drama: Caravaggio, Artemisia, Bern...   New art history videos every weekday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next masterpiece, and let's enjoy some art together. FIND US ON FACEBOOK Art History Fun with Dr. Bryan → https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... I'm Dr. Bryan Zygmont, professor of art history at Mount St. Mary's University. Thanks for sticking around! #LouisXIV #SunKing #ArtHistory