According to the hours of Louis the Great, made... Lot 37

According to the hours of Louis the Great, made in the Royal Hostel of Versailles "King Louis XIV at prayer in the Royal Chapel at Versailles." Beautiful gouache enhanced with gold, on paper. 21x15cm. Under glass. Gilded rocaille frame. B.E. 18th -19th century. Historical background: "Among the sumptuous illuminated manuscripts provided to Louis XIV by the Illumination Workshop of the Invalides, the vesperal completed in 1693 contains a superb miniature representing Louis XIV at prayer, kneeling before the high altar of his chapel. With a precise and very detailed drawing, this exceptional document offers a colourful description of the sanctuary and part of the nave. Raised one step above the ground, with a plain paving made of irregular slabs, the altar is dressed with a cloth antependium and supports a two-level gilded tabernacle surmounted by a dome and a crucifix, all framed by four candelabra. In a gilded border, the altar painting depicts a Nativity in accordance with the engraving from Leclerc's drawing. Saint Joseph is shown in the lower right-hand corner of the composition. The altarpiece corresponds to the data provided by previous testimonies, but the worshipping angels and capitals are gilded here. The back of the composition shows the west wall of the chapel: the ground floor arcade overlooking the north parterre, separated by a pilaster from a solid arcade preceded by the stalls, decorated with garlands, palmettes and heads of gilded angels; and the first floor, an unopened balustrade, sheathed angels placed directly on the pillars, an architrave decorated with a laurel torus above the messenger. The splendour and brightness of this very colourful ensemble is close to the spirit of the Grand Appartement, which was just completed when the chapel was inaugurated in 1682. The curved shape of the arcades and the small size of the windows bring this design close to the first 1681 project for the c