Private side of Louis XIV revealed

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If some of those fashion designers do study in France, they might get some inspiration from an unlikely source. The little-known private and creative side of King Louis the fourteenth has been revealed through a new exhibition at the gilded Chateau de Versailles outside of Paris. The exhibits make quite a spectacle because Louis the fourteenth, who was commonly known as the "Sun King", has gone down in history as one of France's most flamboyant monarchs.

Louis XIV was a fierce ruler whose exclamation, "The State, that's me," summarizes a concept of power that still permeates French politics. But the "Sun King" also shined brightly as a ballet dancer and patron of the arts.

Milo Valovic, curator at Chateau De Versailles, said, "Louis XIV suffered from a very negative image, the image of a king who was absolute and frightening, almost like a despot. That's one of the reasons why there's never before been such an exhibition."

Some 300 works of art were retrieved from all over Europe for the show at Versailles, which the king transformed from a hunting lodge into the dazzling heart of an absolutist state.

Among the most intriguing exhibits are a golden bodice and matching short skirt worn as a ballet costume by the young king. In contrast, a wax relief complete with human grey hair and a glass eye shows the aging Louis, pock-marked and stubble-chinned.

Jean-Jaques Aillagon, president of the Chateau De Versailles, said, "For a personality like Louis XIV, there is very little distance between personal taste and public taste. The King's taste became the taste of his kingdom; he had such a strong personality that it impressed itself on its environment."

Titled "Louis XIV - the man and the king", the exhibition shows how the king's personal preferences at times differed from official taste.

The shockingly realistic wax portrait is a contrast to efforts by most court painters to flatter their employers. The hair, however, is believed to be that of a manservant rather than the king, who went bald early.