François Girardon (1628–1715): The Sculptor of Louis XIV

Description

MARAL ( Alexandre )
François Girardon ( 1628-1715 ) : Le sculpteur de Louis XIV

Arthena. Paris 2015, Publisher's cardboard binding with illustrated dust jacket. Format in-4° (32 x 24 cm). 584 pages with nearly 800 illustrations.

"Died the same day as Louis XIV, Girardon (1628-1715) was the greatest sculptor of his time. Originating from Troyes, he enjoyed a brilliant official career and was present on all the great royal projects, from the Galerie d’Apollon at the Louvre to the Dome of the Invalides, passing through Versailles. Apart from the Apollo group served by the nymphs, the Enlèvement de Proserpine and the statue of Louis XIV on horseback for Place Vendôme, his masterpiece is undoubtedly the tomb of Richelieu in the Sorbonne chapel. This Phidias of the Grand Siècle also distinguished himself as a master builder, capable of conceiving ambitious programmes, defining their models and supervising the teams responsible for their execution. Girardon also assembled a large collection of sculptures, whose engraved plates of the finest pieces, published in his lifetime, are reproduced in full in this volume and are the subject of a study by Françoise de La Moureyre."

Very good copy