The theme of the book is French art theory in the 17th century, its connection to contemporary moral philosophy and political theory (including Hobbes), and its role in the cultural policy of the French monarchy under Louis XIV. The texts that form the basis of this study were presented as lectures at the French Academy. They represent a novelty in art theory in that they contain detailed and vivid descriptions of paintings by the then-recognized and exemplary masters (Titian, Raphael, Poussin, and others), from which criteria for painting at the Academy were to be derived. Through this path of theoretical reflection, French art production was to achieve a unified and high aesthetic standard in order to serve the cultural policy under Louis XIV. The volume includes not only a history of French art.