After a model attributed to Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, the younger, (French, 1704–1778)
Bust of Louis XV
c. 1745
This bust shows the French King Louis XV at the height of his popularity, when he was still known as le Bien-Aimé (the Beloved). The artist achieved a remarkably animated likeness, at once elegant and grand. Royal portraits were meant to convey the monarch’s authority and military might and were often displayed in private homes to demonstrate the owner’s loyalty to the king.
| Medium | lead-glazed earthenware (faience fine) |
| Dimensions | 20 7/8 x 10 5/16 x 10 1/16 in. (53.1 x 26.2 x 25.5 cm) Height of top: 14 3/16 in. (36 cm) Height of base (to the top of the tenon): 9 1/8 in. (23.1 cm) |
| Object Number | 2006.6 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by the Clark, 2006 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Bust of Louis XV, c. 1745, lead-glazed earthenware (faience fine). Clark Art Institute, Acquired by the Clark, 2006.6
Select Bibliography
Le Duc, Geneviève. Porcelaine tender de Chantilly au XVIIIe siècle. Paris: Editions Hazan, 1996.
Guillemé-Brulon, Dorothée. La faïence fine française: 17501867. Paris: Massin Editions, 1995.
