The Family Collection of the late Countess Mountbatten of Burma
The Family Collection of the late Countess Mountbatten of Burma
A pair of Sèvres Royal portrait busts of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, circa 1786-88
Auction Closed
March 24, 08:41 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A pair of Sèvres Royal portrait busts of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette
circa 1786-88
after Louis-Simon Boizot, modelled by Le Riche, bust length, truncated and draped on spreading socle bases, the bust of the King incised with LR 21, the bust of the Queen incised with 15 LR, on later gilt-metal mounted green-painted marble bases
38 cm. (53.5cm. including base) high (Louis XVI); 41 cm. high (56.5cm. including base) high (Marie-Antoinette)
4
Inventory, 1926, p. 23, in the drawing room;
H. Avray Tipping, English Homes, Late Georgian, 1760-1820, London, 1926, p. 124, p. 132;
Christopher Hussey, English Country Houses, Mid Georgian 1760-1800, London, 1984, p. 100, p. 104.
Louis-Simon Boizot (1743-1808) was a leading Parisienne neoclassical sculptor who in 1773 was appointed Director of the Sculpture Department at Sèvres. These busts are based on the marbles that were commissioned by the King and Queen in 1777 and 1781 respectively. For comparison see a further pair in the Royal Collection (RCIN 39496 and 39497), acquired by George IV before 1811, see Geoffrey de Bellaigue, French Porcelain in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen, London, 2009, Vol. III, nos. 307 and 308, pp. 1084-1087.