The King of the Sun (Le Roi du Soleil)
Functional textile / Mass-produced apparel (sock) • Original artwork by Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928–2000); Textile manufactured under license, possibly by a brand like 'Sock It To Me' or 'Musee-themed' heritage labels.
Style & Movement
Modernism / Bio-morphic Abstraction / Transautomatism (based on the artist's original style).
Medium & Technique
Machine-knitted textile; Likely a blend of cotton, polyamide, and elastane utilizing an intarsia or jacquard knitting technique to recreate a graphic image.
Creation Period
Original painting created in 1999; this textile reproduction is likely circa 2015-2023.
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 14-18 inches in length (standard crew sock); vertical format.
Subject Description
A stylized profile of a face (the 'King of the Sun') featuring a prominent nose, wide eye, and pink cheek. Above the figure's head is a row of small, colorful houses, reflecting Hundertwasser's obsession with organic architecture and 'living' structures.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Good; visible stretching of the knit structure indicates it is currently being worn, which distorts the original design proportions.
Estimated Market Value
$10.00 – $20.00 USD
Auction Estimate
$5.00 – $15.00 USD (as part of a bulk lot or vintage clothing sale)
Provenance History
Contemporary retail purchase. No specific collector provenance as it is a mass-market consumer item.
Art Historical Significance
The artwork represents the commercial democratization of Friedensreich Hundertwasser's 20th-century aesthetic. Hundertwasser was a significant Austrian artist and architect who advocated for the 'Third Skin' (clothing) and 'Fifth Skin' (environment), making his appearance on a sock thematically relevant to his philosophy.
Notable Features
Features the distinctive 'Hundertwasserian' house motifs on the 'brim' of the hat/crown, and the typical use of bold, primary-adjacent colors (cobalt blue and poppy red) typical of his late-career palette.
Condition Issues
Knit distention (stretching), minor pilling of the fibers, and potential fading from laundry cycles. The tension on the heel and calf distorts the 'King's' facial features.
Conservation Recommendations
Machine wash cold inside out, tumble dry low or air dry to prevent fiber degradation and maintain color vibrancy.
Collector Notes
On a sock