Madame du Barry
Bust
1773-1800 (cast), 1773 (designed)
1773-1800 (cast), 1773 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This bust is made of plaster and is an early cast from the marble bust of Madame du Barry, dated 1773, by the French sculptor to the King, Augustin Pajou (now in the Louvre Museum, Paris). It was the last of several busts of her by Pajou and was a triumph at the official Salon exhibition in Paris that year.
Madame du Barry (née Marie-Jeanne Bécu) became the official - and last - mistress of the King of France, Louis XV, after being presented at Court in 1768. Her beauty was legendary and she was a great patron of the arts. The King died in 1774. Madame du Barry was guillotined during the French Revolution, in 1793.
Madame du Barry (née Marie-Jeanne Bécu) became the official - and last - mistress of the King of France, Louis XV, after being presented at Court in 1768. Her beauty was legendary and she was a great patron of the arts. The King died in 1774. Madame du Barry was guillotined during the French Revolution, in 1793.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Madame du Barry (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Plaster |
| Brief description | Bust of Madame du Barry, early plaster cast of the marble bust of 1773 by Augustin Pajou |
| Physical description | Bust in plaster of Madame du Barry. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Miss Wilson |
| Production | An early cast from the marble bust dated 1773 by Augustin Pajou in the Louvre, Paris. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This bust is made of plaster and is an early cast from the marble bust of Madame du Barry, dated 1773, by the French sculptor to the King, Augustin Pajou (now in the Louvre Museum, Paris). It was the last of several busts of her by Pajou and was a triumph at the official Salon exhibition in Paris that year. Madame du Barry (née Marie-Jeanne Bécu) became the official - and last - mistress of the King of France, Louis XV, after being presented at Court in 1768. Her beauty was legendary and she was a great patron of the arts. The King died in 1774. Madame du Barry was guillotined during the French Revolution, in 1793. |
| Bibliographic reference | Forrest, T. A bust of Madame du Barry. Apollo. CXXXII. July 1990. p. 51. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.98-1921 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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