Lot 216: After Simon Louis Boizot (1743-1809), the Carrara marble bust of King Louis XVI of France, H 61 cm

After Simon Louis Boizot (1743-1809), the Carrara marble bust of King Louis XVI of France, H 61 cmThe original bust by Boizot is currently in the collection of the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (MV 5789).

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.