How does the Gersaint signboard symbolize the end of Louis XIV’s reign?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Watteau, Antoine: Mezzetin — Antoine Watteau *Mezzetin*, oil on canvas by Antoine Watteau, 1718–20; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 55.2 × 43.2 cm.

In the signboard painted for his friend, the art dealer Gersaint, Antoine Watteau depicts the interior of an art shop where a portrait of Louis XIV is being packed away into a crate. This imagery serves as a symbolic representation of the conclusion of the monarch's long and influential reign. By showing the portrait being stored, Watteau suggests a transition away from the era of the "Sun King," effectively marking the end of that historical period.1