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1 of 253523 objects
Sèvres porcelain factory
Marie-Antoinette c.1786-8
Hard-paste biscuit porcelain, stepped base of hard-paste porcelain decorated with a beau bleu ground and gilded decoration | 39.5 x 25.1 x 15.8 cm (whole object) | RCIN 39497
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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 Marie-Antoinette wears a diadem on her head and a string of pearls in her hair.
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 pair, 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 the bust of Louis XVI 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 39496, 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
39.5 x 25.1 x 15.8 cm (whole object)
Category
Object type(s)
Place of Production
Sèvres [France]
