ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE

 

FRANCE
 

Sculpture arrived at the official royal style in much the same way as architecture. While in Paris, Bernini carved a marble bust of Louis XIV and was commissioned to do an equestrian statue of him. The latter project, for which he made a splendid terracotta model (fig. 821), shared the fate of Bernini's Louvre designs. Although he portrayed the king in classical military garb, the statue was rejected. Apparently it was too dynamic to safeguard the dignity of Louis XIV. This decision was far-reaching: equestrian statues of the king were later erected throughout France as symbols of royal authority, and Bernini's design, had it succeeded, might have set the pattern for these monuments.


821. Bernini. Model for Equestrian Statue of Louis XIV.
1670. Terracotta, height 76.3 cm.
Galleria Borghese, Rome




COYSEVOX.

Bernini's influence can nevertheless be felt in the work of Antoine Coysevox (1640-1720), one of the sculptors Lebrun employed at Versailles. The victorious Louis XIV in Coysevox's large stucco relief for the Salon de la Guerre (see fig. 817) retains the pose of Bernini's equestrian statue, albeit with a certain restraint. Coysevox is the first of a long line of distinguished French portrait sculptors. His bust of Lebrun (fig. 822) likewise repeats the general outlines of Bernini's model of Louis XIV. The face, however, shows a realism and a subtlety of characterization that are Coysevox's own.

822. Antoine Coysevox. Charles Le Brun
1676
Terracotta, height: 66 cm
Wallace Collection, London

 

Antoine Coysevox Antoine Coysevox, (born Sept. 29, 1640, Lyon—died Oct. 10, 1720, Paris), French sculptor known for his decorative work at the palace of Versailles and for his portrait busts, which introduced a trend toward the sharpened depiction of individual character. Of Spanish descent, Coysevox became a sculptor to King Louis XIV in 1666 and by 1679 was engaged at Versailles, enriching the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) and the Ambassador’s staircase and carving the brilliant equestrian relief of the King (c. 1688) for the Salon de la Guerre. He also executed much decorative sculpture for the royal gardens, notably the equestrian “Renown” and “Mercury” (1700–02). Other important works are the tombs of the finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1685–87; Saint-Eustache, Paris) and Cardinal Mazarin (1689–93; Louvre) and the votive group of Louis XIV on the high altar of Notre-Dame. These, like his formal portrait busts, have a marked Baroque character. His more intimate portrait sculptures, however, such as that of the Duchesse de Bourgogne as Diana (1710; Louvre), omit the Italianate swagger of Bernini and the formality of the state portraits and anticipate the naturalism and grace of the Rococo style. His principal students, including his nephews Nicolas and Guillaume Coustou, perpetuated his influence, especially on the development of French portrait sculpture in the 18th century. Encyclopædia Britannica

Antoine Coysevox. Self-portrait (Louvre)





Antoine Coysevox. Equestrian Fame of Louis XIV, for Marly, 1702, removed to the Tuileries Garden, 1719





Antoine Coysevox. Mercury
1702
Marble
Gardens of the Tuileries, Paris





Antoine Coysevox. Louis XIV of France





Antoine Coysevox. Amphitrite


 

Antoine Coysevox. Neptune, from Marly, 1699-1705 (Louvre)

Antoine Coysevox. Bust of Antoine Coypel
Marble, height 54 cm
Musee du Louvre, Paris

Antoine Coysevox. Bust of the Grand Conde
1688
Bronze, height: 59 cm
Musee du Louvre, Paris

Antoine Coysevox. King Louis XIV
1686
Marble, 89 x 80 cm
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Dijon

Antoine Coysevox. Louis XIV
c. 1686
Marble, height: 74 cm
Wallace Collection, London

Antoine Coysevox. Louis XIV
c. 1686
Bronze, height: 89 cm
Wallace Collection, London

Antoine Coysevox. Bust of Louis XV as a Child of Six
1716
Marble, height 59 cm
Private collection

Antoine Coysevox. Bust of Marie Serre
1706
Marble
Musee du Louvre, Paris

Antoine Coysevox. Funeral Monument of Mazarin
1692
Marble and bronze
Musee du Louvre, Paris

Antoine Coysevox. Funeral Monument of Mazarin (detail)
1692
Bronze
Musee du Louvre, Paris

Antoine Coysevox. Robert de Cotte
1707
Marble
Bibliotheque Ste Genevieve, Paris

Antoine Coysevox. The Duchesse de Bourgogne as Diana
1710
Marble
Musee du Chateau, Versailles


 

Antoine Coysevox. Tomb of Colbert
1685-87
Marble
Saint-Eustache, Paris