2 - Henri TESTELIN and his studio (1616–1695)

Henri TESTELIN and his studio (1616–1695) Portrait of Louis XIV, aged 10, in a silver coat, vermilion pants, and a vermilion cape. Oil on canvas. H. 74 x W. 55 cm. "Louis, who promises us calm after the storm, Already adds laurels to his triumphant lilies, And through his deeds, greater than his years, Teaches us that kings are never children." (Caption from an engraving published by Balthazar Moncornet, c. 1653, Versailles, National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon, inv. INV.GRAV 5. Background Louis XIV, who became king at the age of 5, is undoubtedly the most frequently portrayed of our monarchs, with over a thousand depictions—drawn, painted, engraved, or sculpted. Our portrait, depicting him at the age of 10, is nevertheless an interesting addition to his iconography. Previously unpublished, it also illustrates a turning point in the way the young king was portrayed, in the year 1648, which itself marked an early turning point in his reign. On February 1, 1648, Henri Testelin presented his admission piece to the Royal Academy, which had been founded on January 20 of that same year (Versailles, National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon, inv. MV 102, ill. 1). He chose to depict the king in royal regalia, enthroned atop a daisy-adorned dais, wearing the collar of the Order of the Holy Spirit around his neck, holding his scepter in one hand and a laurel wreath in the other. The background of the composition is draped with a large vermilion ceremonial cloth. Our portrait reproduces the exact same face as the reception portrait and retains the vermilion ceremonial drape as the background, but adjusts the framing—which is tighter—as well as the pose and the attire, which is more everyday, with the Order of the Holy Spirit worn as a sash. The young king had suffered considerably from smallpox in November 1647, and by January 1648, his face was still “swollen and bright red.” The year began against a backdrop of profound social and political unrest: an uprising by Parisian merchants on January 7, anti-tax protests on January 11, a “lit de justice” on January 15, and remonstrances and the annulment of the “lit de justice” by Parliament the following day. On February 15, Queen Anne of Austria summoned the Parliament of Paris to answer the question, “Does Parliament believe itself to be within its rights to limit the king’s authority?” On May 13, and then on June 15, through the Arrêt d’Union and the Declaration of the Chamber of Saint-Louis, respectively, the sovereign courts (the Parliament, the Grand Council, the Chamber of Accounts, and the Court of Aides) answered “yes”: the Fronde had just begun. 1648 was a year of redefining the royal image—a process in which Testelin played an active role—coinciding with the need to celebrate the Peace of Westphalia, signed in October, and the necessary reaffirmation of the king’s authority in the face of internal unrest. Shortly before, in a painting by Jean Nocret, dated 1645–1648 (Versailles, Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, V.2025.9, ill. 2), the king is still being held by the hand and led to the “Temple of Justice and Faith,” just like the child he is. The tone changes radically with three paintings by Testelin: the one mentioned earlier, the one before us, and a third, dated 1648–1655, depicting the king full-length in royal attire (Versailles, National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon, MV 3475, ill. 3). Also in 1648, we even see the king, as depicted by Michel Lasne, donning a breastplate—a martial accessory that implicitly conveys the gravity of the unrest to be quelled (Versailles, National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon, INV.GRAV.LP 30.6.1, ill. 4). Our portrait is thus among the very first images of a king who, though young, is depicted on the path to autonomy—which he would attain on September 7, 1651, upon reaching the age of majority. As such, it is a discovery that sheds light on how the first glimmers of the future Sun King were conveyed through imagery. Bibliography Gustave Saige, *Journal des guerres civiles de Dubuisson-Aubenay: 1648–1652*, H. Champion, 1883. Lot presented by the Martenet-Rombout gallery (pam@martenetrombout.com)