Offered by Franck Baptiste Provence
Rare bust in patinated terracotta representing the Dauphin Louis XVII (Louis-Charles of France 1785-1795).
The royal prince is represented with long hair whose locks fall on his shoulders.
He wears a silk muslin costume called "à la matelote" or "à la marinière", inspired by English fashion and in particular by the peasant and sailor wardrobe of Scotland and Ireland.
High quality of sculpture with a lot of good nature in the facial features and a meticulousness of details in particular in the representation of the pleated texture of the silk or the finesse of the lace.
Beautiful state of preservation, small chips.
Pedestal in red marble from Flanders.
French School around 1790 or 1815; to be compared with the busts of the sculptor Louis-Pierre Deseine (1749-1822)
Dimensions:
Total height: 55 cm; Width: 35 cm; Depth: 20 cm
Bust height: 42 cm
Louis-Charles de France, better known as Louis XVII, born in Versailles on March 27, 1785 and died in Paris on June 8, 1795, is the second son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. Titled Duke of Normandy at birth, he became Dauphin of France in 1789 upon the death of his elder brother, then Prince Royal under the terms of the Constitution of 1791 to 1792. During the French Revolution, the royal family was imprisoned on August 13, 1792 in the Temple Tower, then Louis XVI was executed on January 21, 1793. Louis-Charles was then recognized by the governments of the powers allied against France and by his uncle, the future Louis XVIII, as the holder of the crown of France, under the name of "Louis XVII". He died in captivity in 1795, at the age of ten.
