BY SILVESTRE-JOSEPH BRUN (1792- C. 1855), CAST BY LÉQUINE, 1814

Details

AN EMPIRE BRONZE HERM BUST OF A GENTLEMAN
BY SILVESTRE-JOSEPH BRUN (1792- C. 1855), CAST BY LÉQUINE, 1814
On an ebony veneered rectangular plinth; inscribed to the side of the truncation "Exécuté en Bronze Par Léquine. fondeur" and on the reverse of the truncation'S. J. Brun fécit. 1814.'; medium brown patina with lighter high points; very minor damages
13 1/8 in. (33.3 cm.) high

Provenance

The 2nd Viscount Camrose, Hackwood Park, Hampshire; until sold by
The Executors, Christie's house sale, 20-21 April, 1998, lot 157.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve. No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The sitter for the present bust has traditionally been identified as Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington; the present bust does not, however, appear to display the distinctive hooked nose profile of the Iron Duke. An alternative identification has been suggested as the comte d'Artois, brother of Louis XVI and subsequently Charles X of France (1757-1836), King of France from 1824-30. Apart from the similarities in facial features that can be seen on this bust and his contemporary portraits, the most famous works by Brun - as an engraver and medallist - are the two portraits of Charles X on the medals commemorating his assenscion to the throne in 1824. Moreover, 1814, the date of this bust, was an auspicious year for the comte d'Artois, later Charles X, then in exile in Edinburgh, as his brother was crowned Louis XVIII amongst a surge a Monarchism. The comte d'Artois would, however, have been 57 years old in 1814, and the sitter appears to be in his mid to late 30's.

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