Louis XIV chose the sun as his emblem. The sun is Apollo, god of peace and the arts; it is also the star that gives life to all things. Like the god, Louis XIV, warrior hero, brings peace and protects the arts. Everywhere in the decor of Versailles, representations and attributes of the god are mixed with royal portraits and emblems.
This sun is a detail of a paneled room in the Salon de l'Abondance (57m²) located on the first floor of the central building in the Grand Appartement du Roi.
Built in 1682 under the direction of the King's First Architect Jules-Hardouin Mansart, it owes its name to its proximity to the medal cabinet, where the main masterpieces of the royal collections are kept, and to the central painting on the ceiling (La Magnificence et la Magnanimité royales récompensant les Arts - 1683 René-Antoine Houasse).
