CAST FROM A MODEL BY ALBERT-ERNEST CARRIER-BELLEUSE, CIRCA 1875

Benjamin Franklin (d.1790) first visited France in 1766, returning several times until 1785. He was immediately popular at the Parisian salons during his stays, becoming a symbol of democratic ideal and the American Enlightenment. The present portrait is evidence of France's enduring fascination with the statesman and politician throughout the century following his death. The tablet at the base of the stump bears a Latin inscription referring to Franklin's famous electrical experiments with a kite during thunderstorms.