Getty Museum

Bust of Louis XV

Date

about 1750–1755

Medium

Soft-paste porcelain

Culture

French

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

Made of soft-paste porcelain, this large bust was probably fired in the kilns of Mennecy, which were only 22.5 centimeters high. As this sculpture is 42.5 centimeters tall, the king's bust had to be fired separately from the base and then joined together above the crown. The king's head sunk slightly in the kiln, giving him a rather raised ribcage. Louis XV appears at the height of his powers, at about the age of forty. The bust was probably inspired by a marble sculpture by Jacques-François-Joseph Sally, which was erected in the town of Valenciennes in 1752. The decorations on the plinth include the arms of France beneath the crown surrounded by swords, a cannon, drums, and battle standards.

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