Object Description
This antique bust of Marie Antoinette has been gracefully crafted in biscuit porcelain after the fashionable Sevres style. Biscuit, or bisque, describes the technique whereby the porcelain is left unglazed, in its pure white state. This method allows the details of the modelling process to be clearly seen. The unglazed bust is set on a glazed blue pedestal, creating a beautiful juxtaposition.
The figure of Marie Antoinette wears flowers in her hair and a pendant, displaying Louis XVI’s profile portrait, around her neck. The 19th Century saw a revival of interest in bisque portrait busts of Marie Antoinette, like this one, and her husband Louis XVI, which had been produced in great number during their reign. The piece is signed with two blue-painted interlaced Ls, which contain an ‘A’, the date-letter for c.1754.
This revival piece is remarkable for its royal subject matter, as well as for the elegance of the craftsmanship.