Master sculptor of Louis XIV's France

Description

MARAL (Alexander) François Girardon (1628–1715): The Sculptor of Louis XIV. Arthena. Paris 2015, publisher's hardcover binding with illustrated dust jacket. Folio format (32 x 24 cm). 584 pages with nearly 800 illustrations. Girardon (1628-1715) died on the same day as Louis XIV and was the greatest sculptor of his era. Originally from Troyes, he enjoyed a brilliant official career and participated in all major royal projects, from the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre to the Dôme des Invalides and Versailles. Beyond the Apollo group attended by nymphs, the Abduction of Proserpina, and the equestrian statue of Louis XIV for Place Vendôme, his masterpiece is undoubtedly the tomb of Richelieu in the Sorbonne Chapel. This Phidias of the Grand Siècle distinguished himself also as a project manager, capable of designing ambitious programs, defining their models, and overseeing the teams responsible for their execution. Girardon assembled a significant collection of sculptures, including engraved plates of the finest pieces published during his lifetime, fully reproduced in this work and subject of a study by Françoise de La Moureyre. Fine copy.