Article: Frames: Baroque: Louis XIV

Baroque: Period: 1643-1715

Louis XIV (1638-1715), known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, ruled over France and Navarre from 1643 - 1715.

Louis XIV Frame:

There are many variations of Louis XIV frames, however, two stand out as most common: One has straight sides, similar to the Louis XIII frame style, and the other has protruding corner and center cartouches. What makes the first variation different from Louis XIII frames is the decorations: "the straight sided moulding was now carved with a complex but symmetrical rhythm of facing C-scrolls, linked with strap-work and flower heads on a cross-hatched ground." [1]

With the addition of the corner and center cartouches, typically decorated with shells, leaves or anthemia (also called fleur-de-lis), we have the emergence of the most regularly employed of the Louis XIV frame variants. The center and corner design tends to divert the viewers eyes away from the straight edges of the frame. Depending on the wealth of the frame buyer, carvings could be very simple to very complex.