Louis XIV, one of France's greatest monarchs, sits confidently astride a prancing steed in this bronze statue cast from a model by Martin van den Bogaert who was also known as Desjardins. This extraordinary work is a reduction of the equestrian portrait of the Sun King by Francois Girardon, one of the most noted and influential sculptors of the period. Louis XIV is portrayed here as a conquering Roman hero, his costume adorned with many neoclassical motifs. The statue rests upon an ebonized cabinet decorated in the style of André-Charles Boulle. The archetype of absolutism in royalty, the 72-year reign of Louis XIV, the longest in European history, not only enhanced the power of the monarchy, but catapulted France to become the most powerfu