The Collection
The American Wing Ancient Near Eastern Art Arms and Armor The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing Asian Art The Cloisters The Costume Institute Drawings and Prints Egyptian Art European Paintings European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art Robert Lehman Collection The Libraries Medieval Art Musical Instruments Photographs Antonio Ratti Textile Center Modern and Contemporary Art

Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Louis XVI

Louis Simon Boizot French

1777

Not on view

Visitors commented on the king’s apparent good nature, which Boizot ably expressed in this bust, a departure from an official, idealized portrait. Marie Antoinette commissioned this work as well as a companion piece of her brother, Emperor Joseph II of Austria, to commemorate the latter’s 1777 visit. Their informal appearance relates to the fact that they were intended for display in the Petit Trianon, the queen’s private retreat.

Louis XVI, Louis Simon Boizot (French, Paris 1743–1809 Paris), Marble — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Louis XVI

Artist: Louis Simon Boizot (French, Paris 1743–1809 Paris)

Date: 1777

Medium: Marble

Dimensions: Bust: 25 3/8 × 20 1/16 × 14 3/8 in., 220.5 lb. (64.5 × 51 × 36.5 cm, 100 kg)
Base: 5 11/16 × 9 13/16 in. (14.5 × 25 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (MV 5789)

The Met

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Met

The Met's comprehensive collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century.