A French bronze bust of Louis XIV, circa 1700

light brown patina beneath dark brown lacquer, struck with 'C' couronné.

Julius Böhler, Munich

M. H. Schwartz (ed.), European Sculpture from the Abbott Guggenheim Collection, New York, 2008, no. 95, p. 180

Rubbing and surface abrasions throughout. A few minor dents and pits. Casting flaws, some at thin points with original fill. Loss to lowermost point of drapery in front. Bolt for attachment reinforced with cement. Some original casting flaws in back. Breche d'alep socle with deliberately chipped front right corner to accomodate drapery. Green marble base with chipping, repairs to cracks/inclusions, and losses to corners.
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The present bronze is loosely based upon a marble by Antoine Coysevox in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon.  Several variations by Coysevox's studio and followers exist, including one in Norbonne (Souchal, op. cit., no. 43a) without the lace cravat seen in the Dijon version, close to the present bust, and a bronze version in the Wallace Collection (Wenley, op. cit., pp. 64-5).

RELATED LITERATURE

R. Wenley, French Bronzes in the Wallace Collection, London, 2002, pp. 64-5
F. Souchal, French Sculptors of the 17th and 18th Centuries: The Reign of Louis XIV, vol. 1: A-F, Oxford, 1977, nos. 43-43a, p. 196