English 18th Century Portrait Sculpture: Equestrian Statue of Louis XV by Bouchardon. Place Louis XV Paris. Revised 26 May 2017

Equestrian Statue of Louis XV

by Edme Bouchardon (1698 - 1762).

Commissioned in 1748 and cast Saturday 6 May 1758. Originally the contract for the casting was made with Varin Pere et Fils but with the death of the father a new contract was made with Pierre Gor, Commissaire Général des Fontes at the Arsenal, Paris. He was assisted by Maritz, Inspecteur Général des Fontes de l’Artillerie de France.

After casting the chiselling and final finishing which was supervised by Pigalle after the death of Bouchardon took a further 5 years.

The statue was installed Place Louis XV (now Place de Concorde), Paris

19 February 1763.

see -

https://www.academia.edu/22821527/The_Life_and_Death_of_a_Royal_Monument_Bouchardons_Louis_XV

and for a 5 minute film showing a simplified but informative account of casting this statue see -

http://www.lefigaro.fr/arts-expositions/2016/09/23/03015-20160923ARTFIG00286-un-film-fait-revivre-la-statue-de-louis-xv-detruite-en-1792.php

Drawing by Bouchardon from the 2016 Exhibition.

Bouchardon prepared hundreds of sketches for this project - I include just three for now.

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The reduced cast by Louis Claude Vasse c 1759 - 63 in the Louvre, Paris.

The Plaster copy by Pigalle.

Musee Carnivalet, Paris.

Pierre Patte, Plate I of Monuments érigés en France à la gloire de Louis XV, .....

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Medallion by Duvivier

1764

74 mm Diam.

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Turgot's Birds Eye View Plan of Paris of 1739 showing the Place Louis le Grand (Place Vendome) with The Equestrian statue of Louis XIV and the future Place Louis XV.

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After Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (French, Paris 1724–1780 Paris)

Etched by Pierre Chenu (French, Paris 1730–late 18th century)

1766.

Metropolitan Museum.

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Georges-Louis Le Rouge (c.1712 - c.1790).

Low resolution image of the engraving.

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Unidentified map 1787.

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Louis Brion de la Tour (1743-1803) detail from Nouveau Plan de Paris.

pub. Rouen 1787.

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Louis Charles Desnos (1725-1805) Nouveau Detail Plan of Paris ses Faubourgs et ses Environs Revu, fixes et par le Augmenté S r . Desnos Géographe Ingénieur pour les Globes et qui SPHERES s'attachent ... les changements lorsque les circonstances le demandent. Paris chez l'auteur rue St. Jacques au Globe 1766.

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