Lot 1
A FRENCH CUIR BOUILLE PORTRAIT OF LOUIS XIV
AFTER FRANCOIS GIRARDON, EARLY 18TH CENTURY, THE FRAME SECOND QUARTER 18TH CENTURY
Closed14 October 2009
Price Realised
USD 37,500
More Information
Specialist note
This repoussé leather portrait probably derives from the circular medallion by François Girardon (1628-1715) that featured amongst the bas-relief compositions presented by the sculptor to his native city of Troyes in 1687. Placed above a mantelpiece in the hôtel de Ville, Troyes, in 1690, the bas-relief remains in situ to this day.
Girardon's celebrated portrait medallion of Louis XIV inspired several contemporary and slightly later versions, including the oval example in marble in the Basilica Saint-Denis, Paris, which was acquired by Alexandre Lenoir in the early 19th Century for the Musée des Monuments Français and subsequently incorporated within the cenotaph to Louis XIV erected in 1843. A further related medallion, executed in repoussé leather, is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Bordeaux.
Girardon's celebrated portrait medallion of Louis XIV inspired several contemporary and slightly later versions, including the oval example in marble in the Basilica Saint-Denis, Paris, which was acquired by Alexandre Lenoir in the early 19th Century for the Musée des Monuments Français and subsequently incorporated within the cenotaph to Louis XIV erected in 1843. A further related medallion, executed in repoussé leather, is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Bordeaux.