Not currently on display at the V&A

Louis XV in right profile

Relief
1738 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The French sculptor Edmé Bouchardon (1698–1762), worked in Paris and was also in Rome for ten years. He generally worked in a classical style seen here in his portrait of Louis XV of France, which is signed and dated 1738. The V&A has a related portrait of the Dauphin by Bouchardon (Museum number A.190-1969), signed and dated 1745.

According to a contemporary account of Bouchardon and his works (given in a posthumous 'Eloge Historique' to the Academy of Painting on 4 September 1762, by his admirer and friend Comte de Caylus), bronze medallions of Louis XV and the Dauphin were commissioned by comte de Maurepas for his château at Pontchartrain, and the King sat in order for Bouchardon to draw a portrait study which was used for medals, coins, and also a medallion portrait in bronze. The portraits of the King and Dauphin were subsequently unrecorded, but may well be those now at the V&A.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleLouis XV in right profile (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Brief description
Relief, bronze, Portrait of Louis XV, by Edme Bouchardon, French, 1738
Physical description
Oval bronze relief with portrait of Louis XV in profile, facing right. His lower lip protrudes beyond his upper lip. His hair is curling and slightly below shoulder-length, swept back loosely with a ribbon. This is the likeness of the King known as the 'Louis au Bandeau'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 560mm
  • Width: 455mm
  • Depth: 60mm
Measurements by Conservation updated those from Object Card.
Marks and inscriptions
ED. BOUCHARDON. EFFINGEBAT ANo. 1738 (Inscribed on bevel of neck)
Gallery label
According to a contemporary account of Bouchardon and his works, bronze medallions of Louis XV and the Dauphin were commissioned by Comte de Maurepas for his château at Pontchartrain. These may be the reliefs now in the Museum.(1983)
Credit line
Purchased with assistance from the John Webb Trust
Object history
According to a contemporary account of Bouchardon and his works (given in a posthumous 'Eloge Historique' to the Academy of Painting on 4 September 1762, by his admirer and friend Comte de Caylus), bronze medallions of Louis XV and the Dauphin were commissioned by comte de Maurepas for his château at Pontchartrain.

Caylus mentions that the King sat for Bouchardon and the resulting study by Bouchardon was used for medals and coins before being used for a bronze medallion relief for Maurepas. The reliefs of the King and also the Dauphin (A.190-1969) were subsequently unrecorded, but may well be those now at the V&A.
Subject depicted
Summary
The French sculptor Edmé Bouchardon (1698–1762), worked in Paris and was also in Rome for ten years. He generally worked in a classical style seen here in his portrait of Louis XV of France, which is signed and dated 1738. The V&A has a related portrait of the Dauphin by Bouchardon (Museum number A.190-1969), signed and dated 1745.

According to a contemporary account of Bouchardon and his works (given in a posthumous 'Eloge Historique' to the Academy of Painting on 4 September 1762, by his admirer and friend Comte de Caylus), bronze medallions of Louis XV and the Dauphin were commissioned by comte de Maurepas for his château at Pontchartrain, and the King sat in order for Bouchardon to draw a portrait study which was used for medals, coins, and also a medallion portrait in bronze. The portraits of the King and Dauphin were subsequently unrecorded, but may well be those now at the V&A.
Associated object
Bibliographic references
  • Hodgkinson, T., French Eighteenth Century Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum, in V&A Museum Yearbook, 1972, p.112-4 (illustr. fig 17 p.114).
  • Desmas, Anne-Lise, Kopp, Édouard, Scherf, Guilhem and Juliette Trey, eds. Edme Bouchardon, 1698-1762 : une idée du beau, exh. cat. (Musée du Louvre, Paris, 14 September to 5 December 2016), 2016, pp. 166-167, cat. 76.
  • Medlam, S. and Ellis Miller, L. (eds.) Princely Treasures: European Masterpieces 1600-1800 from the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publishing, 2011.
Collection
Accession number
A.189-1969

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest