Le Solide, 12-pound cannon dating back to the reign of Louis XIV Detail

Le Solide is a bronze 12-pound cannon created in 1688 in Douai by the founder Keller.
In 1666, Louis XIV and Louvois, wishing to modernize the royal artillery, consulted several founders and selected the proposition submitted by the Keller brothers, who came from Zurich. Between 1669 and 1693, in their foundries based in Douai, Besançon, Vieux-Brisach, and Pignerol, Jean-Jacques and Jean-Balthazar Keller produced hundreds of cannons with harmonious proportions and elaborate ornamentation. These pieces were simultaneously weapons and support media for the monarchic discourse.