Attributed to Hubert Le Sueur (circa 1590 - 1658)

Christie's Paris, 25 June 2019, lot 162;

Where acquired.

Active in Paris from 1604, Le Sueur was appointed sculptor to the King in 1614. Probably sent by Louis XIII to the court of Charles I, Le Sueur arrived in London in 1625, at a time when ties between the two monarchies were being strengthened by the marriage of the King of England to the young Henrietta Maria. He pursued a distinguished career at court until the Civil War, which hastened his return to Paris in 1641. The equestrian monument to Charles I (Trafalgar Square), dated around 1633, is probably the most emblematic work of his long stay in England. Le Sueur also produced large equestrian statuettes, such as those of the young Louis XIII and Henri IV, both cast in Paris circa 1615-20 (V&A, inv. A.47-1951 and A.47-1951).

We also know of a series of small bronze equestrian portraits by Le Sueur, similar to those produced a few years later by Caspar Gras, this time in honour of the Habsburgs. A smaller version of the Louis XIII model (21 cm high) is a rare autograph example, signed ‘LESVEVER’ on the strap; it can also be found, along with another small equestrian bronze figuring Philip III, King of Spain, at the Victoria & Albert Museum (inv. A. I-1994 and inv. A.108:1 to 3-1956). The attitude of the V&A horses, and their almost childlike anatomy, particularly in the rather naive way of placing the eyes on the same plane as the forehead, bear striking similarities to our model, as does the detail of the heart adorning the centre of the martingale, which we find on all three examples.

In order to rationalise the production of these small portraits, the two horsemen from the V&A and the present one were cast separately, along with the saddles, allowing the same horse model to be reused. The identity of the Davidson rider in armour remains uncertain. In keeping with the dynastic theme of Le Sueur’s series of equestrian portraits, linked to the crowns of England and France, he could be Sir Morien, son of Agloval, Knight of the Round Table and close friend of Lancelot, and a Saracen princess. His bravery and exceptional strength earned him the title of knight. He could also be Alessandro de Medici, known as ‘il Moro’, the illegitimate son of Lorenzo II de Medici, Duke of Florence from 1532 until his death in 1537, when he was assassinated by his cousin Lorenzino de Medici.

RELATED LITERATURE

G. Bresc-Bautier, G. Scherf (ed.) Bronze français de la Renaissance au Siècle des Lumières, exh. cat. musée du Louvre, 2008, pp. 176-79.