Partisan Carried by the Bodyguard of Louis XIV (1638–1715, reigned from 1643) 1654 - 1704

This is a partisan, a type of polearm, designed by Jean Berain for the bodyguard of Louis XIV, who reigned France from 1643 to 1715. The partisan represents a period of lavish display of power. Consider how weapons, traditionally instruments of violence, are transformed into ornate displays of status. This partisan, with its gilded details and decorative motifs, speaks less to practical warfare and more to the theater of monarchy. Court life during Louis XIV's reign was highly ritualized; even the act of guarding the king was a performance of loyalty and power. Reflect on the emotional weight carried by such objects. A bodyguard's weapon becomes a symbol of both protection and the potential for violence, embodying the complex relationship between the ruler and the ruled. The partisan transforms what it means to be a weapon, and what it means to protect.