Attributed to Henry Dasson Louis LXIV French, circa 1880

Jean Bieder, François Linke's foreman in the 1920, who took over Linke's business in 1946

D. Ledoux-Lebard, Le Mobilier Français du XIX Siècle, pp. 146-151

C. Payne, 19th Century European Furniture, p. 35

F. Souchal, French Sculptures of the 17th and 18th Centuries, London, 1981, p. 58, no. 72.

J. R. Gaborit, Musée du Louvre, Sculpture Française, II Renaissance et Temps modernes, Paris 1998, t. I, p. 394

Cat. exp. Europäische Barockplastik, Düsseldorf, 1971, no. 335 

François Girardon (1628-1715) cast the original full-size group, unveiled in the Place Louis le Grand (later renamed Place Vendôme) on August 13, 1699. The original no longer exists, as it was dismantled and melted down during the French Revolution. A similar but larger model of this group, on a bronze base, signed by Henry Dasson and dated 1876, was sold in Paris, Orsay, March 21, 1979, lot 8. It is interesting to note that a version of this group by Dasson was pre-empted by French Customs in 2000 and will be exhibited at the Louvre. In an article in the 'Parisien,' December 7, 2005, Françine Mariani-Ducray, director of the Musées de France is quoted as saying, "Sa valeur est d'autant plus grande que la statue originale n'existe plus. Elle a été fondu lors de la Révolution." 18th century reductions are recorded in major French museums such as the Louvre, Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte, as well as the Wallace Collection, London. As well as Dasson, this popular royalist model was produced by the other major makers of meuble de luxe and bronziers such as Beurdeley and Sormani.