King Louis XVI (1774-1792)
Relief
19th century (made)
19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This portrait relief depicts Louis XVI, King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1792. Arrested during the Revolution he was tried and executed by guillotine on 21st January 1793.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, low relief portraits in wax became popular in Britain and they were often exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Society of Artists and elsewhere. Waxes were used in a similar way to prints and medals, in order to disseminate the image of the sitter, or, like miniature paintings or silhouettes as portable mementoes.
The popularity of wax portraits was in part driven by their links with other types of portrait manufacture such as ceramic medallions.
This relief is the work of Samuel Percy, one of the foremost portraitist in wax in the nineteenth century.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, low relief portraits in wax became popular in Britain and they were often exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Society of Artists and elsewhere. Waxes were used in a similar way to prints and medals, in order to disseminate the image of the sitter, or, like miniature paintings or silhouettes as portable mementoes.
The popularity of wax portraits was in part driven by their links with other types of portrait manufacture such as ceramic medallions.
This relief is the work of Samuel Percy, one of the foremost portraitist in wax in the nineteenth century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | King Louis XVI (1774-1792) |
| Materials and techniques | Wax |
| Brief description | Wax, English, by Samuel Percy (1750-1820), 19th century |
| Physical description | Wax relief. Shown in profile facing to the right. |
| Credit line | Rupert Gunnis Bequest |
| Object history | Rupert Gunnis Bequest. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This portrait relief depicts Louis XVI, King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1792. Arrested during the Revolution he was tried and executed by guillotine on 21st January 1793. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, low relief portraits in wax became popular in Britain and they were often exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Society of Artists and elsewhere. Waxes were used in a similar way to prints and medals, in order to disseminate the image of the sitter, or, like miniature paintings or silhouettes as portable mementoes. The popularity of wax portraits was in part driven by their links with other types of portrait manufacture such as ceramic medallions. This relief is the work of Samuel Percy, one of the foremost portraitist in wax in the nineteenth century. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.109-1965 |
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| Record created | March 17, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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