HENRI TESTELIN THE YOUNGER (1616-1695) - Large official portrait of Louis XIV (c.1675)

HENRI TESTELIN THE YOUNGER (1616-1695) - Large official portrait of Louis XIV (c.1675)
Oil on canvas (relined). Dimensions: 127 x 95 cm. Framed in an important 17th century box frame, Italy, with dimensions of 147 x 116 cm. Provenance: Important private French collection. This magnificent portrait, undoubtedly a royal commission for a high institution, shows us Louis XIV in all his splendour, standing in front of a scroll illustrating fortifications designed by Vauban. Over time, the fate of the work was influenced by various historical events, such as the revolutionary sales, the presence of the House of Bourbon in Italy and other events that favoured its transfer to the north of the country. Finally, the painting resurfaced on the market at an auction near Florence on 11 May 1996, at the Casa Farsetti in Prato, where it sold for over €43,000, including expenses. The work is believed to have been executed between 1675 and 1680, shortly before the revocation of the Edict of Nantes forced Testelin to leave the court. Traces of a signature can still be seen at the bottom right of the parchment. The fortifications depicted on the document probably correspond to a town or citadel in northern France, which coincides with the approximate dating of the painting. Rather than depicting a victory following the conquest of a fortress, this portrait seems to exalt the image of the monarch, highlighting the great work carried out in the fortification of the Kingdom. Henri Testelin (1616-1695) was a French painter, son of Gilles Testelin, artist at the court of Louis XIII, and brother of Louis Testelin, also a painter. He trained under Simon Vouet and played a key role in the founding of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1648. For his admission to the Academy, he submitted a portrait of the young Louis XIV, which is still preserved at Versailles. Within the Academy, he became secretary and professor, but in 1681 he was excluded due to his Protestant faith, in the context of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. At the Salon of 1673, he exhibited a portrait of the King and Queen, and his influence was decisive in the creation of the official artistic doctrine of the court. A specialist in portraits, Testelin painted numerous members of the nobility and collaborated on the decorations of Versailles. Today, much of his work is preserved at the Palace of Versailles. Housed in an international warehouse.