Pierre Mignard - Autoportrait, 1670. Paris Musée du Louvre
Mignard was painting Louis XIV’s portrait for the tenth time, when the king asked: “Hasn’t my appearance aged somewhat?”
“Sire,” the artist answered, “in truth, I do perceive a few additional wars on Your Majesty’s face.”
Edmond Guérard, Dictionnaire encyclopédique d’anecdotes (Paris: Firmin Didot, 1872), Vol. I, p. 267. (Nobility.org translation.)
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 32
