‘The Sun King’ Louis XIV on Horseback

Description

A Large Patinated Bronze Equestrian Group of ‘The Sun King’ Louis XIV on Horseback, After François Girardon.

King Louis XIV dressed as a Roman Emperor, his right arm slightly raised, seated on a prancing horse whose hind leg tramples underfoot a sword and acanthus-cast shield centred by a Medusa’s head.

France, Circa 1880.

Exhibiting superb casting and detail, this is a bronze reduction of François Girardon’s celebrated equestrian model of Louis XIV which was unveiled in 1699 in Place Louis Le Grand, today the Place Vendôme.

An engraving of the inauguration of the equestrian statue of Louis XIV on 13 August 1699 in Place Louis Le Grand.

It was cast by Balthazar Keller and weighed over thirty tons. It was subsequently destroyed by the populace in 1792 and Louis XIV’s foot, now preserved in the Louvre, survives from it.

Louis XIV’s foot from Girardon’s original statue survives in the collection of the Louvre museum, Paris.

Due to the importance and success of the commission, bronze reductions of different sizes where made to commemorate the glory of Louis XIV. Girardon made other versions of this monument in bronze on a reduced scale. One in the British Royal Collection at Windsor Castle; one in the Russian Royal Collection at the Hermitage in St Petersburg; one in the French Royal Collection at the Louvre. The example in the Louvre was acquired by the royal administration in 1784 and was later seized from the royal collections but survived the Revolution.

Girardon’s reduced model survived the revolution and provided the prototype for later bronzes.

With the Bourbon restoration and during the revivals of the 19th century the existence of the model enabled replicas, such as the present example, to be cast. The foundry would have been granted permission by the Musée du Louvre to make drawings and take measurements for the original model. The great skill of the Parisian bronze foundries in the late 19th century ensured that such replicas were superbly modelled and cast with fine detail. Another 19th century example, cast by Henry Dasson, is also in the collection of the Louvre (RF 4730).

The present bronze is an especially good example which captures, with exceptional crispness, details such as the king’s hair, cloak, scabbard and the straining power of his steed. Importantly, the reigns and bit in the horse’s mouth, which are often missing, survive on this example. Louis XIV is shown wearing Roman military armour making an analogy between his god-like power and that of the Roman Emperors, famously alluding to the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius (Musei Capitoline, Rome). Louis XIV, like the emperor, extends his hand in a gesture of adlocutio used when addressing troops.

Girardon himself was one of Louis XIV’s most important sculptors, conceiving and executing many works for the Batiments du Roi, notably sculpture for the gardens at Versailles. He studied in Rome and would certainly have been familiar with the Marcus Aurelius, which was widely admired in France. He drew almost literally on the famous antique group for his composition making only slight alterations to add a more contemporary character, such as the lively and more naturalistic treatment of the contemporary full-bottomed wig, saddlecloth and tunic.

A drawing of Louis XVI on horseback by Pierre Lepautre (© The Trustees of the British Museum.)

Louis XIV of France and Navarre (1638-1715) reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monarch in history. He made his kingdom the predominant power in Europe and his reign is still celebrated today as France’s apogee of military power and artistic achievement.