Wolf Burchard is associate curator in the department of European sculpture and decorative arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Drawing of the stern of the Royal Louis (c. 1680), studio of Charles Le Brun. École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris.

Chains of command – ‘The Sun King at Sea’, reviewed

A groundbreaking study looks at the slave labour on which France’s maritime ambitions depended

27 Jun 2022
Philip Hewat-Jaboor at home in Jersey

Philip Hewat-Jaboor was a champion of the decorative arts and generous mentor to many

Wolf Burchard pays tribute to the expertise and open-mindedness of the chairman of Masterpiece who was a pillar of the world of decorative arts

8 Apr 2022

Seats of power through the centuries

Throne chairs have acted as seats of power for centuries – but their form and meaning has evolved

19 May 2018
The Neues Palais, Potsdam in Sanssouci Park, PATRICK PLEUL/AFP/Getty Images

Preserving Prussia’s royal palaces

Will a grant of €400 million euros bring the phenomenal Prussian royal collections to wider attention?

19 Oct 2017
Equestrian Portrait of Chancellor Séguier (c. 1660–61), Charles Le Brun

Stepping out of the Sun King’s shadow

The Louvre-Lens has mounted a long overdue survey of Charles Le Brun’s prodigious talents

26 Jul 2016

What’s the point of rebuilding Germany’s palaces?

The construction of Berlin’s Humboldt Forum on the site of the former Stadtschloss raises challenging questions

10 Mar 2016

When the Sun Set: 300 Years since the Death of Louis XIV

The King is dead! Long live the King! Portraits of Louis XIV and his infant successor, Louis XV

1 Sep 2015

Louis XIV: a round-up of exhibitions

Louis XIV’s tercentenary commemorated in exhibitions around the world

29 Jul 2015

The Problem with Colour: Charles Le Brun between Academy and Gobelins

Colour in 17th-century France was a dirty but essential business

30 Jun 2015

Casting a Queen: Louis XIV’s forgotten wife

Too well behaved to be remembered: a rare bust of Marie-Thérèse offers a glimpse of the Sun King’s consort

26 May 2015
Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Bernini in Paris: Architecture at a Crossroad

In 1665 Louis XIV asked Bernini to design a new façade for the Louvre. What would it have meant for Paris if the Sun King had commissioned him?

13 Apr 2015

Blinded by the Sun: The Age of Louis XIV

What is the cultural legacy of Louis XIV’s extravagant reign?

24 Mar 2015