Gift of Larry Hartford and Torleif Tandstad, 2016.1.17

This portrait of King Louis XIV of
France was commissioned by his lover,
Françoise d’Aubigné, known at court as
Madame de Maintenon. The king is
reported to have said that "Madame de
Maintenon knows how to love. There
would be great pleasure in being loved
by her." Historians believe that she was
married to the king in a secret ceremony
officiated by the Archbishop of Paris
around 1683. How does having this
portrait of the king in her private
apartments speak to the power of
Madame de Maintenon’s intimate
alliance with the Sun King?