the aid of the colours of fables, shows what he is to posterity'). The various versions depict the King in the company of different personages although they are placed in the same place in the composition. It is possible that these variations were made at the behest of the patron for whom a particular version was created. The cycle of paintings made for the Royal Pavilion at Marly were very successful. They led to a fashion for decorating palaces and public buildings with paintings representing military scenes. The process in which the large compositions were created has been studied by art historians. It is known that van der Meulen was present at some of the military actions that he depicted. He also visited the locations of the actions afterwards and spent much time making topographical sketches of the landscapes and cities that were depicted in his battle scenes. He often relied on other artists to assist with these sketches. He even used prints by other artists as a basis for his compositions as in the case of his painting of the siege of Utrecht. The views of Utrecht in the painting are very similar to prints of Utrecht by the Dutch painter Herman Saftleven. Van der Meulen integrated these views and profiles into his vast compositions. They were also used for the design of tapestries as well as for prints. Research has shown that a number of prints depicting Louis XIV's conquests were made before the paintings depicting the same scenes were made. In other words, some of the prints were the basis for the later paintings rather than the other way around. Van der Meulen also painted several studies of horses. His studies of horses constituted a directory that the painter could use in his compositions as well as serve as models for his apprentices. The Dutch engraver Jan van Huchtenburg engraved a series of his sketches of horses killed in combat. Van der Meulen enjoyed a reputation for his skill at painting horses. Van der Meulen was granted a royal patent to have his original designs engraved and published. He put together a team of painters-printmakers to engrave his designs. Many of these printmakers came from Flanders and the Dutch Republic such as Adriaen Frans Boudewijns, Abraham Genoels, Jan van Huchtenburg and Romeyn de Hooghe. The French engraver Robert Bonnart trained with van der Meulen and sold prints