Bust of Louis XV

Soft-paste porcelain, made from white clay and ground glass, was first produced in Europe during the late sixteenth century at the Medici factory in Florence. In France, high quality soft-paste porcelain was created first at Saint Cloud, and then at Chantilly, where a factory was established in 1725 under Louis XV, King of France from 1715 to 1774. Portrait busts of the monarch were popular. This one is probably modeled after a bronze statue by Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, the official sculptor of Louis XV. The king is shown in armor, and the base is decorated with a sculpted military trophy.