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Louis XVI

1777
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Visitors commented on the king’s apparent good nature, which Boizot ably expressed in this bust, a departure from an official, idealized portrait. Marie Antoinette commissioned this work as well as a companion piece of her brother, Emperor Joseph II of Austria, to commemorate the latter’s 1777 visit. Their informal appearance relates to the fact that they were intended for display in the Petit Trianon, the queen’s private retreat.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Louis XVI
  • Artist: Louis Simon Boizot (French, Paris 1743–1809 Paris)
  • Date: 1777
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: Bust: 25 3/8 × 20 1/16 × 14 3/8 in., 220.5 lb. (64.5 × 51 × 36.5 cm, 100 kg)
    Base: 5 11/16 × 9 13/16 in. (14.5 × 25 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (MV 5789)
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts