Here are three images of Louis. The first shows him as a young man, at the center of the picture, surrounded by members of the Royal Academy of Sciences, at the opening of a new royal observatory. The painting shows a king committed to advancing learning and scientific progress, one who plays a personal role in these efforts, meeting with scientists and even evaluating their efforts.
The second is a well-known portrait of Louis as an old man, standing before the throne, dressed in his royal robes, holding the royal scepter, with his crown next to him. The portrait suggests the magnificence of monarchy, but it also suggests the king's virile forcefulness even in old age—note the grace with which he wears his high-healed shoes, the shapely legs that he's showing off, and the enormous sword that he wears.
Third, an equestrian statue of Louis set in the middle of a plaza in Paris, the circular Place des Victoires. Again, it's an artistic creation with several messages: it makes the king a presence in the midst of a city that he rarely visited; it shows his force and valor, as a man mastering a spirited horse; it connects him to the great men of ancient Rome, where equestrian statues were much favored; and the architecture of the plaza itself (built during his lifetime and with his authorization) suggests order, inventiveness, and beauty. The viewer is left to contemplate the king's capacity to reconcile apparent opposites: warrior vigor with order, ancient Rome with modernity.
Finally, some photos of Versailles, the palace that Louis moved to in 1682. The architecture is meant to convey the greatness of the monarch, of course—the immense resources that he commands, the excellence of his taste, the great artists and workers that he can command. But (like the Place des Victoires) the architecture also conveys a mix of order and creativity. Versailles shows the king as a source not just of order, but also of beauty.
(Source: Wikimedia.)
