Jean Mauger, Louis XIV, ca. 1695-1723, bronze, 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.), Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, governed France for 72 years, still the longest reign of any European monarch in history. His rule brought France to the height of its power and influence in geopolitics, the arts, and literature. He established an opulent royal court in Versailles that became the envy of the world. However, a lifetime of the Sun King's excesses, coupled with his misfortunes in war during the last decades of his reign, left France weakened and in debt by the time Louis XIV passed away in 1715.
Jean Mauger, Louis XIV, ca. 1695-1723, bronze, 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.), Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, governed France for 72 years, still the longest reign of any European monarch in history. His rule brought France to the height of its power and influence in geopolitics, the arts, and literature. He established an opulent royal court in Versailles that became the envy of the world. However, a lifetime of the Sun King's excesses, coupled with his misfortunes in war during the last decades of his reign, left France weakened and in debt by the time Louis XIV passed away in 1715.