Equestrian Statue of King Louis XIV

The Equestrian Statue of King Louis XIV is a late sculpture designed and partially executed by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Bernini first discussed the project while in France in the mid-1660s, but it did not start until later in the decade, when back in Rome. It was not completed until 1684, and then shipped to Paris in 1685. Louis XIV of France was extremely unhappy with the end result and had it placed in a corner of the gardens of the royal palace at Versailles. Eventually, the sculpture was modified by François Girardon and altered into an equestrian sculpture of the ancient Roman hero Marcus Curtius A print of the sculpture, mistakenly identified as being by Bernini's father Pietro, exists in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France.      In another piece of royal propaganda, Bernini prepared an equestrian statue of the King dressed as a Roman General.  The terracotta model of the piece is above.  At the last minute, Bernini decided to carve the king smiling.  Louis