Bust of the Grand Dauphin, after Coysevox, Carrara marble, France 18th century

Reduction based on the model by Antoine Coysevox (1640-1720)

Antoine Coysevox (Lyon, 1640 – Paris, 1720), a leading sculptor of the reign of Louis XIV (1638–1715), worked on the Palace of Versailles beginning in 1678, and later at Marly. At Versailles, he worked on major decorative projects such as the Ambassadors’ Staircase and later the Hall of Mirrors. He also became a portraitist for the royal family and worked for the Court, notably creating the funerary monument for Cardinal Mazarin (1602–1661).
His official portrait of the Grand Dauphin, located at the Palace of Versailles (MR 23/61 MV2044), is a life-size work of remarkable power. Here, he sculpts Louis de France (1661–1711), the eldest son of Louis XIV who was raised to succeed to the throne; he would die four years before his father. Coysevox depicts him wearing armor adorned with dolphins and fleurs-de-lis, as well as a cravat with a lace jabot, while his curly hair falls delicately over both shoulders.
Our small bust is a scaled-down reproduction of the model sculpted by Antoine Coysevox; it also features the carved pedestal with an inverted slope, adorned with two dolphins, serving as heraldic symbols just as on the original. This reduced version retains the essential features of the model whilst introducing one variation: the scarf tied around the breastplate replaces the broad drapery seen in Coysevox’s sculpture.