In the seventeenth century during the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, French painting had a magnificent flowering. From the poetic history painting of Poussin, the landscapes of Claude Lorrain and the portraits of Philippe de Champaigne to the celebratory art of Le Brun at the court of Louis XIV at Versailles, this was an extraordinary period in French art.

This book revealingly demonstrates how art and the state were linked through symbolism. Written by one of the few authorities on the subject outside the French-speaking world, and generously illustrated throughout with a rich variety of paintings, it will enrich our response to these glorious works of art by exposing layers of meaning that have been obscured or forgotten.