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Charles X (1757-1836), King of France
Thomas Lawrence·1825
Historical Context
Lawrence painted Charles X of France around 1825, shortly after the king's accession to the throne following the death of his brother Louis XVIII. Charles, the youngest brother of the guillotined Louis XVI, was an arch-conservative whose inflexible commitment to absolute monarchy would provoke the July Revolution of 1830 and the permanent end of Bourbon rule. Lawrence's portrait captures the king's aristocratic bearing and the stubborn confidence that blinded him to political reality. Now in the Royal Collection, the painting documents the last Bourbon king of France at the beginning of a reign that would last only six catastrophic years.
Technical Analysis
Lawrence presents the French king with formal elegance and Bourbon dignity. The careful rendering of French royal robes and decorations demonstrates Lawrence's customary attention to ceremonial regalia in his diplomatic portraits.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the Bourbon royal robes rendered with Lawrence's customary ceremonial precision: the decorations and dress document the last king of the ancien régime.
- ◆Look at the aristocratic bearing and stubborn confidence that contemporaries noted in Charles X: Lawrence gives him formal dignity without psychological flattery.
- ◆Observe the formal Bourbon dignity: the portrait projects the absolute conviction of a man who refused to see that his world was ending.
- ◆Find the Royal Collection setting: Charles X's portrait at Windsor was painted just five years before the July Revolution sent the Bourbons into permanent exile.
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