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1 of 253523 objects
Louis XVI c.1785-8
Hard-paste biscuit porcelain, stepped base of hard-paste porcelain decorated with a beau bleu ground and gilded decoration | 37.2 x 27.4 x 18.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 39496
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George IV had an especially keen interest in the history of France under the Bourbons and earlier dynasties and he assembled a gallery of biscuit figures of the kings of France, ranging from Louis XII to Louis XVIII. Of the busts only a pair, of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, survive in the Royal Collection.
Here, the King wears the mantle and ribbon of the Order of the Saint Esprit and, hanging through a buttonhole, the badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Busts in biscuit porcelain of the King and Queen were produced throughout their reign and modelled by a variety of sculptors. The matt white surface of the unglazed and undecorated porcelain resembles flawless marble. This figure, modelled by the sculptor Louis-Simon Boizot, dates from 1785. Often sold as pairs, many featured in the end-of-year sales held at Versailles.
Text adapted from French Porcelain for English Palaces, Sèvres from the Royal Collection, London, 2009Provenance
Acquired by George IV, together with a bust of Marie-Antoinette at a date probably prior to 19 April 1811, when Vulliamy & Son submitted a bill for 6 guineas for supplying ‘a Pair of very Large oval Shades to cover two China Busts’. Recorded in 1826, together with RCIN 39497, in the Confectionary, Carlton House: ‘No. 284. 2 Busts of Seve bisquet Louis 16th and Maria Antoinette half life size’.
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Creator(s)
(porcelain manufacturer)(nationality)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Hard-paste biscuit porcelain, stepped base of hard-paste porcelain decorated with a beau bleu ground and gilded decoration
Measurements
37.2 x 27.4 x 18.0 cm (whole object)
Place of Production
Sèvres [France]
