Mercury Presenting the Arts to Apollo
2004 © Maxim Tabachnik
Parterre of the OrangeryMax, Luis, and JJ at Latona FountainApollo in His ChariotLuis and JJ in the Allée des Deux-TrianonsThe Apotheosis of HerculesMercury Presenting the Arts to ApolloQueens of France in the Grand CouvertKing’s State RoomGrand Canal and Latona BasinCarp in the Grand Canal

Mercury Presenting the Arts to ApolloCharles Le Brun

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This ceiling painting (1671) fills the Apollo Room with a central scene of Mercury leading personified arts toward the radiant figure of Apollo, framed by heavy gilded moldings and dark swirling clouds. Created for the Versailles state apartments, it formed part of a larger decorative cycle honoring the sun god. The composition aligns Apollo with Louis XIV, turning the royal patron into the guiding source of artistic glory.