Louis XIV, Conqueror of the Fronde

In this painting of 1654, Louis XIV is depicted as the Roman god Jupiter, who crushes the discord of the Fronde (represented on the shield by the Medusa’s head, made up of snakes). When the Fronde began, Louis was only ten years old; at the time of this painting, he was sixteen. The propaganda about his divine qualities had already begun. (By Charles Poerson [1609–1667], Château de Versailles, France / Bridgeman Images.)