Versailles : The Hall of Mirrors

Walking into Versailles you will first find the sculpture Apollon by Jean Raon. This is not the only depiction of the sun god since Louis XIV closely identified with Apollo. This sculpture being in a nook suggests that it was not made to be viewed in the round. The form has so much contrapposto that if it was not for the support of the lyre the sculpture may have fallen over. The deeply carved lines into the clothing makes them more pronounced and their is a great amount of attention shown to the musculature of Apollo.
This attention to detail could only be expected after Jean Raon being trained by his master mason father and having attended the French Academy. Raon also studied three years in Rome supported by Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture and upon his return began working at Versailles. Raon was continuously employed by Louis XIV to work on Charles Le Brun's sculpture, architecture, and landscape ideas until 1699. He then went onto be a member of the Royal Academy and became a professor in 1690.

Citations:
Chateau de Versailles. en.chateauversailles.fr. Chateau de Versailles, n/a. Web. 2 July 2013.
J. Paul Getty Museum. www.getty.edu. The Getty Museum, n/a. Web. 2 July 2013.