after François Girardon

A 'cuir bouillé' portrait of Louis XIV

Provenance:
Léon Gruel, 418 rue Faubourg St. Honoré, Paris (sticker at the back of the frame)
Private collection, Turin

Remarks:
This is a rather rare example of a version in moulded leather -a technique called 'cuir répoussé' - after a portrait of Louis XIV which the French artist François Girardon (1628 – 1715) executed for his native city of Troyes. These portraits seem to have been executed between 1685-1690. In this case, even the frame is decorated with leather ornament. Another exemplar is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Bordeaux.