Lot 133

In very good condition, surface dust consistent with age, some minor spots of staining and discolouration to bronze plinth, scuff marks and dirt to plinth base. Separation to join at top of tail.
(The plinth: Height 114cm, Width 98cm, Depth 66cm)


The opinions expressed in the condition reports are a guide only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Prospective buyers are encouraged to seek further information or request additional images during our pre-sale period where Leonard Joel staff are available for advice. Please note condition reports can be amended during the pre-sale period, so we strongly suggest any interested bidders check the published condition report available on the website before the auction commences. Leonard Joel makes no guarantee of the originality of mechanical or applied components. Absence of reference to such modifications does not imply that a lot is free from modifications.

Blaxland Gallery, Farmer & Company, Sydney
Private Collection
The Property of a Gentleman, NSW, acquired from the above circa 1998

The present lot is a reduction, of François Girardon's celebrated equestrian model of Louis XIV. Cast by J. Balthasar Keller and weighing over thirty tons, the monumental original was unveiled in the Place Louis le Grand (later renamed Place Vendôme) on 13 August 1699. It was subsequently destroyed by the populace during the Revolution in 1792 and only one hoof, now preserved in the Louvre, survived (Martin, Les Monuments Equestres de Louis XIV, Paris, 1986, pp. 92-117).
A popular and enduring model, a number of reductions were created in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, including one with similar measurements to the present group in the Louvre which was one of two in Giradon's personal collection until his death, another version in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, and one in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.