Famous work · not an exact-location map point
Louis-Philippe I, King of the French (1773–1850)
A state portrait of the ‘Citizen King’ in the Galerie des Batailles at Versailles — the history gallery he himself created.
No single real-world viewpoint
A state portrait; the Galerie des Batailles is a nominal backdrop, not a depicted interior view.
Louis-Philippe I, King of the French (1773–1850) — at a glance
- Artist
- Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873)
- Year
- 1841
- Movement
- Court portraiture
- Place
- The Galerie des Batailles, Palace of Versailles, France
- Viewpoint
- The history gallery Louis-Philippe created (opened 1837) — it survives and is part of the Versailles visit
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Now at
- Palace of Versailles
Overview
This full-length state portrait by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, painted in 1841, shows Louis-Philippe I — who reigned as ‘King of the French’ from the 1830 July Revolution until 1848 — standing in uniform with the sash and star of the Legion of Honour, one hand resting on a document, in a grand gallery. It is oil on canvas, over life-size, and it belongs to the Palace of Versailles.
Where was Louis-Philippe I, King of the French (1773–1850) painted?
Scholarship The setting is the Galerie des Batailles (Gallery of Battles), a 120-metre-long hall Louis-Philippe had built in the south wing of the Palace of Versailles and opened in 1837 as part of his project to turn the former royal palace into a museum ‘to all the glories of France’, hung with large paintings of French victories. Choosing it as the portrait's backdrop links the king directly to that reconciling national project. The Galerie des Batailles survives and is part of the Versailles museum visit.
What is in the painting?
Louis-Philippe stands three-quarters on in the dark blue uniform of a general, the broad red sash of the Legion of Honour across his chest, sword at his side, one hand on a table with a paper. Behind him the long barrel-vaulted gallery recedes, its walls hung with big battle pictures, its coffered ceiling and windows drawing back to a distant point. The light is even and grand.
Look closely
The Legion of Honour sash
The broad red sash and star of the Legion of Honour across the king's blue general's uniform.
The receding gallery
The long barrel-vaulted Galerie des Batailles draws back behind him, hung with battle pictures.
The hand on the document
One hand rests on a paper on a table — the ruler as administrator.
Analysis
Composition and technique
A standing state figure with the great history gallery receding behind him, linking king and national project.
Scholarship Winterhalter uses the deep perspective of the Galerie des Batailles as a monumental backdrop, so the portrait doubles as an advertisement for Louis-Philippe's Versailles museum. The handling is smooth and flattering, in Winterhalter's polished court manner.
History & provenance
The portrait is in the collections of the Palace of Versailles.
Sources
- Château de Versailles — collection entry for Franz Xaver Winterhalter, portrait of Louis-Philippe I (1841)
- Château de Versailles — history of the Galerie des Batailles (opened 1837)
Related paintings
Reception of the Grand Condé at Versailles
1878
Gérôme's reconstructed Versailles staircase — another picture set in the palace's ceremonial spaces.
The Coronation of Napoleon
1807
David's imperial state ceremony — French royal-image-making on the grandest scale.
Bonaparte, First Consul
1803
Ingres's earlier French state portrait, also tied to a place and a public project.