DINING ROOM.
Louis XIV., King of France:
By MIGNARD.
Born, 1638. Died, 1715.—The son of Louis XIII., by Anne of Austria, who was Regent during her son’s minority, though the real power was vested in Cardinal Mazarin. In this prelate’s lifetime, the King himself interfered little in public affairs, but at his death, in 1661, Louis determined to be his own Prime Minister. He married Maria Theresa, daughter of Philip IV., King of Spain. His reign was brilliant in arts, commerce, and arms, but disgraced by immorality.
As regards the exterior of the “Great Monarch,” his sister-in-law, (the Duke of Orleans’ second wife, a Princess of Bavaria,) thus describes him: “Personne n’avoit un si beau port, un aspect noble, la voix très agréable, et des manières aisées. Quand il étoit dans la foule, on n’avoit pas besoin, de demander qui étoit le Roi.”