French, circa 1600

Sotheby's London, 6 July 2007, lot 44;

Where acquired.

This finely carved stone bust, representing a Gentleman, follows the tradition of French sculpted portraits from the second half of the 16^th century. The growing demand for this type of bust was stimulated by the circulation of medals and coins based on designs by Germain Pilon, as well as by the portraits of François Clouet and his followers. Compare with the bronze bust of Jean d'Alesso by Matthieu Jacquet in the Louvre Museum, circa 1581 (inv. MR 1705; J. Ciprut, op. cit.).

RELATED LITERATURE

S.K. Scher, "Germain Pilon et l'art de la Médaille" in Germain Pilon et les sculptures françaises de la Renaissance, actes de colloques au musée du Louvre 26 and 27 Octobre 1990, pp.133-159;

J. Ciprut, Mathieu Jacquet, Sculpteur d'Henri IV, Paris, 1967, fig.42.