On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

This object consists of 3 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

King Philip III of Spain on Horseback

Statuette
ca. 1620 (made)
Artist/Maker
Le Sueur, Hubert (maker)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

Bronzes often exist in a number of versions, made over many decades or even centuries. This is achieved through a variety of means, such as changes in the wax, new moulds taken from an existing bronze or the reuse of the existing model. The horse and the armoured body of the rider are identical but the heads are cast separately, so that the sculptor could reuse the basic models for different patrons. Hubert Le Sueur was the son of a master armourer. He became 'Sculptor in Ordinary' to Louis XIII of France in 1614 and later came to England to work for Charles I.

Object details

Categories
Royalty
Sculpture
Bronze
Object type
Statuette
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Statuette
  • Fragment
  • Fragment
TitleKing Philip III of Spain on Horseback (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Bronze
Brief description
Statuette, bronze, Philip III of Spain, by Hubert Le Sueur, French, first quarter of the 17th century
Physical description
Bronze statuette of King Philip III in armour, on horseback.
Dimensions
  • Height: 21cm
Credit line
Bequeathed by Dr W. L. Hildburgh FSA
Object history
Given by Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, F. S. A., 1956.

Historical significance: The horse and the armoured body are identical to those of the statuette of King Louis XIII of France signed by Le Sueur which appeared on the London art market in 1976. The head, portraying King Philip III of Spain, corresponds approximately to that on the equestrian monument commissioned from Giambologna in 1606 which was cast by Pietro Tacca in Florence and finally sent to Madrid in 1616. The head and ruff are cast separately, a method of facture which probably originated in Tacca's workshop to enable basic models to be reused for different patrons.
Subjects depicted
Horse
Philip III.
Summary
Bronzes often exist in a number of versions, made over many decades or even centuries. This is achieved through a variety of means, such as changes in the wax, new moulds taken from an existing bronze or the reuse of the existing model. The horse and the armoured body of the rider are identical but the heads are cast separately, so that the sculptor could reuse the basic models for different patrons. Hubert Le Sueur was the son of a master armourer. He became 'Sculptor in Ordinary' to Louis XIII of France in 1614 and later came to England to work for Charles I.
Bibliographic references
  • Avery, Charles, Studies in European Sculpture II, Christies, London, 1988, "Hubert Le Sueur, the 'Unworthy Praxiteles' of King Charles I", the Walpole Society, XLVIII, 1982, pp. 135-209 (pp. 145-235)
  • Avery, Charles, Studies in European Sculpture II, Christies, London, 1988. "An Equestrian statuette of Louis XIII attributed to Simon Guillain (1581-1685)". The Burlington Magazine, CXXVI, Sept. 1984, pp. 553-556 (pp. 236-240
  • Avery, Charles, Studies in European Sculpture , Christies, London, 1981. "Hubert Le Sueur's portraits of King Charles I in bronze at Stourhead, Ickworth and elsewhere". National Trust Studies, 1979, pp. 128-47 (pp. 189-204)
  • Evelyn, Peta. 'Hubert le Sueur's equestrian bronzes at the Victoria & Albert Museum. In: The Burlington Magazine, (Feb. 1995), Vol. CXXXVII, No. 1103, p. 85-92
  • Trusted, Marjorie, ed. The Making of Sculpture. The Materials and Techniques of European Sculpture. London: 2007, p. 57, pl. 92
  • Alcouffe, Daniel et al., Un temps d'exubérance : les arts décoratifs sous Louis XIII et Anne d'Autriche, Paris : Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 2002 no.300b
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.108:1 to 3-1956

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Record createdJanuary 15, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O89500/king-philip-iii-of-spain-statuette-le-sueur-hubert/
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