The glory of Louis XIV triumphing over time

The figure of Fame holding the trumpet presents in the temple of Immortality the king’s name inscribed on a scroll: “Ludovicus XIV victor immortalis”; she triumphs over time, personified by an old man carrying a scythe.

It is suggested that Louis XIV is one of the great conquerors: like Xerses, Alexander and Caesar whose names appear on the scrolls at the bottom of the composition. This painting was commissioned from a Florentine artist by the abbey Luigi Strozzi and given as a gift to the king.