On the orders of King Louis XIV, the painter Charles Le Brun was commissioned to design the decoration of the new Gallery of Apollo in the Louvre Palace. He decided to decorate the vault of the gallery with paintings depicting the race of Apollo in his chariot across the sky. The journey of the Greek sun god would mark the different moments of the day, from dawn to night. Around this central axis, symbols related to the variations in light and heat of the sun are represented (hours, days, seasons, but also continents and signs of the Zodiac). This grand decoration of paintings and sculptures symbolised the power of Louis XIV, the Sun King.