Louis XIV

model c. 1683/1699, cast c. 1699

after Martin Desjardins

Associated Names
Anonymous Artist

Sculptor

Martin Desjardins

Artist After, Dutch, c. 1640 - 1694

The sculpture portrays a nobleman on a horse. The nobleman is dressed in aristocratic attire with a curly wig. The horse is in a dynamic pose with one front leg raised. The sculpture is made of bronze, highlighting the details of the figures. It is placed on a rectangular plinth.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Andrew W. Mellon Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall (with base): 56.6 x 21.9 x 40 cm (22 5/16 x 8 5/8 x 15 3/4 in.)
    accessory size: 11.7 x 19.3 x 39.3 cm (4 5/8 x 7 5/8 x 15 1/2 in.)
    gross weight (sculpture): 33.000 lb
    gross weight (support): 10.000 lb

  • Accession Number

    1971.5.2


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Utheman collection, Geneva; sold 1969 through (Jacques Kugel, Paris) to (Michael Hall Fine Arts, New York);[1] purchased 5 March 1971 by NGA.
[1] See letter from Charles Parkhurst dated 14 February 1974.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1974

  • Recent Acquisitions and Promised Gifts: Sculpture, Drawings, Prints, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1974, no. VII, as Louis XIV on Horseback, Attributed to François Girardon.

1981

  • Glorious Horsemen: Equestrian Art in Europe 1500-1800, Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Massachusetts; The J.B. Speed Museum of Art, Louisville, 1981-1982, no. 75, repro.

Bibliography

1974

  • Lewis, Douglas. "Two Equestrian Statuettes after Martin Desjardins." Studies in the History of Art vol. 6 (1974):142-155, repro.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 640, no. 1008, repro., as Louis XIV, "The Sun King".

1986

  • Seelig, Lorenz. "Eine Reiterstatuette Kurfürst Max Emanuels von Bayern aus dem Jahr 1699." Anzeiger des Germanischen Nationalmuseums (1986):65-67, repro.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 74, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q63854525

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