Louis XIV, king of France by Hyacinthe Rigaud

Louis XIV is depicted in this full-length portrait, three quarters view. He wears the coronation costume, the royal mantle decorated with fleur-de-lys and lined with ermine, and the chain of the Order of the Holy Spirit. Rigaud has taken care to include all the "regalia": the sceptre in his right hand, the sword, the crown and the ‘hand’ of justice on the cushion on the left. He stands under a red velvet canopy, behind which we can see a column whose base has a low relief symbolising justice. This painting was commissioned from Rigaud in 1700 for the grandson of Louis XIV, Philip V, King of Spain. The work received such acclaim that it was never sent to Spain.