Dictators of the Arts September 29, 2010

Olivier Bernier, author

Louis XIV and Napoleon both liked to be obeyed, promptly and fully, but they also understood that lasting fame depends as much on the arts as on military victory. Both, therefore, gathered the best artists of their time and gave them abundant commissions. The King had time, and at Versailles he built a palace that dazzled Europe; Napoleon's wars did not prevent him from ordering paintings, interiors and objects of extraordinary quality; and both rulers saw to it that they got all the credit.

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