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Louis XIV in allegorical armor

17th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 532
Designed in 1672, this bronze relief shows Louis XIV wearing a fanciful helmet crowned with the chariot of Apollo, the sun god to whom the king likened himself. The chariot drags a chained prisoner, symbolic of the German towns captured by Louis XIV's armies during the first of his victorious campaigns against the Dutch. The helmet and the armor are embossed with a wealth of allegorical details.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Louis XIV in allegorical armor
  • Artist: Michel Molart (French, Dieppe 1641–1713 Dieppe)
  • Date: 17th century
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 4 x 2 5/8 in. (10.2 x 6.7 cm.)
  • Classification: Medals and Plaquettes
  • Credit Line: Gift of Ogden Mills, 1925
  • Object Number: 25.142.61
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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