This week Sculpture Saturday features Jean Varin’s statue of Louis XIV that stands in the Salon de Vénus at the Château de Versailles, France.
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné September 5, 1638 – September 1, 1715), also known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand) or the Sun King (le Roi Soleil), was King of France from May 14, 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monarch of a sovereign country in European history.
Jean Varin (February 6, 1604 – August 26, 1672 ) was a French sculptor and engraver who made important innovations in the process of minting coins. In 1647, Cardinal Richelieu appointed Varin head of the French mint.
The Sun King’s record of being the longest serving European monarch may soon be broken by Queen Elizabeth II, who became Queen of England on February 6, 1952 and was coronated on June 2, 1953.
Sculpture Saturday is a challenge hosted by Susan Kelly at No Fixed Plans.
Salsaworldtraveler'sblog 
imagine being King at 5 years old.. all your childhood fantasies could probably be realized. Hard to imagine that the length of his reign may be beaten by the Queen Mother…
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You’d think being a child king would be great. I read that he had a terrible childhood and was neglected. Strange.
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you think it would have been the opposite, at least in terms of being spoiled and not neglected…
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That was my initial assumption, too. But we are talking about power and prestige here and the tendency of people to avoid sharing it unless they must.
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and I guess it’s easy to take advantage of a four-year old…
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Exactly
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ooh la la!
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The Greek-inspired style of this statue reminds us that other powerful leaders commissioned similar works, Napoleon Bonaparte also comes to mind.
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Absolute rulers seem to like picturing themselves as Greek and Roman rulers. I’m surprised Trump didn’t get a similar sculpture installed at the White House.
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What about that golden thing the neo-fascists worshiped at the CPAC event? smh
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I missed that one.
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Lovely work
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I don’t think Varin was known as a great sculptor but this statue looks great to me. Thanks for checking out the post.
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Pleasure
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Are the dates correct? Louis XIV would have been only five years old when he became king.
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The dates are correct. Louis XIV became king at age 4 years and 8 months. That is how he became the longest serving monarch. He didn’t actually rule France until 1661.
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Wow! Sun King indeed. This sculpture sure impresses. Could a mere human live up to this look?
Thanks for joining.
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Louis XIV, as a Roman Emperor. That maybe how he viewed himself. Thanks much for hosting the challenge.
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