The equestrian statue of Louis XIV is a bronze equestrian statue of the King of France Louis XIV, located on the Place d'Armes in front of the Palace of Versailles. Until 2008–2009, it was located in the cour d'honneur.
 General view of the statue | |
 | |
| 48°48′12″N 2°07′33″E / 48.80333°N 2.12583°E | |
| Location | Palace of Versailles, Versailles, Yvelines |
|---|---|
| Designer |
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| Type | Statue |
| Material | Bronze |
History
editThis statue was designed by Pierre Cartellier. When he died in 1831, only the horse, originally designed for an equestrian statue of Louis XV commissioned in 1816 by Louis XVIII for the Place de la Concorde in Paris and which was ultimately never built, was finished.[1] The rider is the work of Louis Petitot, Cartelier's son-in-law. The whole was cast in bronze by Charles Crozatier in 1838.[2] The proportions of the statues of the horse and the king are slightly different.
First erected in the cour d'honneur of the Palace of Versailles, it was dismantled in February 2006 on the occasion of the reconstruction of the royal gate of this courtyard.[3] The restoration, costing 500,000 euros, was carried out by the Fonderie de Coubertin.[4] It was reassembled on April 21, 2009, on the Place d'Armes of the Château de Versailles.[5] This new location allowed it to be better visible from the Avenue de Paris.
There is also another equestrian statue in Versailles, in marble, commissioned by Louis XIV in 1671 from the sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The king having lost interest in it, it has since been placed behind the gardens of Versailles.[6]
Elsewhere in France, there are other equestrian statues dedicated to King Louis XIV, such as the equestrian statue in the Place des Victoires in Paris, the equestrian statue in the Place Bellecour in Lyon and the equestrian statue on the Promenade du Peyrou in Montpellier.
Gallery
edit-
Close-up of the statue -
The statue in the cour d'honneur in 2005 -
The statue in front of Avenue de Paris.
References
edit- ^ "Sur la Place de la Concorde 1753-1953". Revue des deux Mondes (in French): 17. 1953. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Tüskés, Anna. "Two Venetian Sculptures in the Collections of the Louvre Museum." The Review of French Museums/Revue du Louvre 4 (2010): 36-45.
- ^ "La statue équestre de Louis XIV de retour au château de Versailles" (PDF) (Press release) (in French). 2009-04-27. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ "La statue équestre de Louis XIV regagne le château de Versailles | Fontes d'art et métallurgie ancienne". www.fontesdart.org (in French). 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ "Louis XIV regagne l'entrée du château de Versailles". Le Figaro (in French). 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Borghese, Galleria. "Bernini Gian Lorenzo - Model for the Equestrian Statue of King Louis XIV". collezionegalleriaborghese.it. Retrieved 2024-07-25.