Le Roi-Soleil

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Equestrian statue of Louis XIV by Pierre Cartellier and Louis Petitot, 1838
Place d'Armes
Château de Versailles (Palace of Versailles)
France, July 2009

“The return of the equestrian bronze statue of Louis XIV is excellent news. The location designated by the public establishment, in front of the Avenue de Paris, is indeed the best possible choice. Louis XIV will continue, to the chagrin of those who claim that this work is of no artistic value, to welcome visitors to Versailles. The group, first installed in 1836 between the Gabriel and Dufour pavilions (at the site of the royal grill destroyed at the end of the 18th century), is made up of two distinct elements originally. The horse, sculpted by Pierre Cartellier, was to be used in the production of an equestrian monument to Louis XV commissioned by Louis XVIII in 1816 for the Place de la Concorde in Paris, replacing Bouchardon’s which was destroyed during the Revolution. It was finally founded in 1829 by Charles Crozatier and completed with a Louis XIV produced by Louis Petitot, Cartellier’s son-in-law, then finished in bronze by Crozatier. Severely damaged, the group was removed from its original location to make room for the mediocre modern grill which claims to restitute the one by Hardouin-Mansart.” (The Louis XIV sculpture returns to Versailles, The Art Tribune)