Louis XIV Caricatures: Clyster Syringe and Seventeenth-Century Political Corruption

Clyster syringes, used for administering enemas, appear frequently in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century paintings and caricatures, often in a clear scatological context. During this period, artists were particularly attuned to the satirical potential of Louis XIV’s fascination with enemas. A striking example of this is a political cartoon by Romeyn de Hooghe, which offers an explicit critique of the French monarch.

In the cartoon, Louis XIV, also known as the “Roi de Soleil” (Sun King), is depicted with a sunburst on his head, a symbolic nod to his status as the ruler of France. He is portrayed sitting on top of a terrestrial globe, impaled by a large clyster syringe. The absence of a commode results in the contents of the king’s bowels, loosened by the enema, spilling over the globe. The satirical illustration suggests that Holland, in particular, suffers the worst of the fallout, while several German cities, such as Heidelberg and Offenburg, also bear the brunt of the royal excrement.

The chaotic background of the scene references the tumultuous events of 1674, a year marked by widespread violence and destruction as Protestant forces rampaged through the countryside. The date, inscribed on the clyster syringe, reinforces the historical context. At the left side of the cartoon, a representative of Spain, an ally of France at the time, is shown seated on a unicorn with the ears of a donkey, further adding to the ridicule.

For the Dutch satirist behind this artwork, the clyster syringe becomes a powerful symbol of Louis XIV’s military, religious, and territorial ambitions. Through the image of the enema and its uncontrollable results, the artist critiques how the king’s policies have metaphorically “soiled” the world, with disastrous consequences for Europe.