After Guillaume Coustou the elder (French, 1677-1746): A pair of late 19th / early 20th century patinated bronze models of the Marly Horses


on naturalistic bases, 49cm high approximately (2)
|Louis XV commissioned the original pair of horses for his royal hunting lodge, Chateau de Marly to replace two groups by Antoine Coysevox (1640-1720) of Fame and Mercury on horseback. The Coysevox pair were moved to the Tuileries Gardens in 1719 and Coustou was commissioned to create something equally as impressive to fill the vacant space of the abreuvoir. His design reinvented the theme of the colossal Roman marbles in the Piazza Quirinale, Rome which was fitting as Coustou had recently returned from a four year scholarship in Italy. Related Literature: The French Bronze 1500-1800, M. Knoedler & Co, New York 1968.