Triumph of Alexander

Louis XIV had the great events of his life and reign commemorated in many ways, including paintings, sculpture, tapestries and medals. Depictions of his gloire extended to the delicate and more ephemeral form of fans.

This fan illustrates the ‘Triumph of Alexander’, the moment in 331BC when Alexander the Great entered Babylon, having defeated the Persian King Darius III. From early in his reign Louis had been identified with Alexander the Great, an historical figure of legendary proportions. Louis considered himself to be a second Alexander and was keen to be portrayed as such.

The design on the fan is taken from one of a set of five paintings Charles Le Brun created for Louis XIV between 1661 and 1668. The fan painter has cleverly adapted the composition of the original painting, shifting the groups of figures slightly so that the scene fits the curved shape of the leaf. The fan shows Alexander as portrayed by Le Brun but his red and gold cloak has been replaced with one of strong cobalt blue, the colour closely associated with the French monarchy. Other details relate the scene more closely to Louis’ court; the large perfume burner, on the right, is typical of those used at his court and the detail of the large metallic urn being carried on a stretcher echoes those found in other tapestries, notably that commemorating Louis’ visit to the Gobelins factory in 1667 (in the Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon).