Lodewijk XIV trekt over de Rijn en verovert de Betuwe 1699 - 1703

Editor: So, this metal relief from sometime between 1699 and 1703, called "Lodewijk XIV trekt over de Rijn en verovert de Betuwe", by Jean Mauger. My first thought is, it feels incredibly grand, and… well, kind of like propaganda, in a way. What do you make of it? Curator: Oh, absolutely propaganda, but aren't all great works tinged with a little… theatricality? Think of it as spin, but spun with undeniable artistry. What grabs me is the sheer audacity of compressing an entire campaign onto a tiny, weighty disc. I see the Sun King himself, puffed up like a rooster, leading the charge. Don't you think there is something beautiful in how power communicates? Editor: The Sun King as a rooster – I like that! So, aside from celebrating Louis XIV, what’s really being communicated? What story is being told here? Curator: The story, my dear, is the *official* story. The swift and decisive victory. The might of France. But what isn't said? Perhaps the cost of that victory. The nuances of human suffering always seem to disappear from the propaganda. See how strategically his hair falls…almost biblical. I bet the flipside would be something altogether different if the Betuwe had managed to fend him off, eh? What are you imagining when looking at that image? Editor: I’m imagining the average person seeing this; this small object making someone feel like they are part of something greater. But yes, I also think of the less glamorous side of it, too! This wasn't on a battlefield! This small disc now feels so much larger. Curator: Precisely! That is a powerful effect isn't it. Art gives people power over narratives, eh? That is where truth lies in the hands of any viewer of Art!