A Musketeer; Time of Louis XIII
1856
Ernest Meissonier was the ultimate historical detail nerd of the 19th-century French Academic art world, and this dashing musketeer from the era of Louis XIII proves it. Notice the incredibly specific costume—the plumed hat, the slashed red breeches with blue tassels, and the heavy musket resting casually on his shoulder. Meissonier was famous for obsessing over the exact look of historical uniforms, often collecting antique weapons to get every stitch right, capturing the romanticized swagger of the 17th-century French soldier that made him a superstar of his day.
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