Hyacinthe RIGAUD - Lot 29

Hyacinthe RIGAUD (Perpignan 1659 - Paris 1743) Full-length portrait of Louis XIV in armor Canvas mounted on cardboard 28 x 21 cm This modello, recently discovered and as yet unpublished, is a precious testimony to Hyacinthe Rigaud's thoughts on the conception of the portrait "du roi armé" (Madrid, Prado Museum), a major element of French royal propaganda aimed at the Spanish court, produced a few months after the famous portrait "en costume royal" (Paris, Louvre Museum), as the future War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) was being prepared. The king is shown here in armor, still conquering despite his age and the trials ahead. Although armor had become a somewhat obsolete military accessory, it remained particularly popular with the aristocracy for their portraits throughout the 18th century, as a symbol of power. The background is not chosen at random either: the king poses in front of his last personal feat of arms, the 1692 siege of Namur. This was one of the episodes in the so-called "League of Augsburg" or "Nine Years' War", which from 1689 saw many European countries fighting against the hegemonic policies of Louis XIV. The king wanted to strike hard at the heart of Spanish Flanders, by seizing the town of Namur, at the confluence of the Sambre and Meuse rivers, the key to land and river communications in the Netherlands. It was the last time the king would appear on the battlefield, and this final passage was given all the "information ceremonies" of which the Grand Siècle was capable: Te Deum in Versailles, Paris and all the major cities of France, inscriptions and the minting of medals, songs and paintings, and, of course, reports of the siege. The abundance of testimonies enables us to grasp the importance of the siege of Namur to the King's reputation, and our portrait is one of the most obvious. Surprisingly, this portrait was not engraved in its entirety, as was the case for the portrait in royal costume. However, the engraver Jean-Baptiste Massé (1687-1767) included it in a composition by Antoine Coypel (private collection). Ariane James-Sarazin has confirmed that this small painting is a preparatory sketch with slight variations for Rigaud's painting in the Prado Museum (see A. James-Sarazin, Hyacinthe Rigaud, vol. II, Dijon, 2016, n°P.774, reproduced). The painting will be included in the supplement to the catalog raisonné currently being prepared by Madame James-Sarazin. We would like to thank Mr. Martenet for the information included in this notice, a detailed study of which will be given to the buyer. https://cdn.drouot.com/d/catalogue?path=80/163102/582-2025_06_11_MOA_complet_V4.pdf