Madame du Barry
- Date
- c.1771
- Material
- Terracotta
- Classification
- Ceramics, sculpture
- Collection
- European Art to 1800
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- sculpture: 14 x 8 x 10 1/4 in. (35.6 x 20.3 x 26 cm)
sculpture and base: 18 1/4 x 8 x 10 1/4 in. (46.4 x 20.3 x 26 cm) - Credit Line
- Friends Endowment Fund
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 1:1967
NOTES
This terracotta bust was a study for a marble portrait (now lost) of Mme Du Barry, the last mistress of Louis XV (reigned 1723–74). The angle of her head and her diverted gaze present a vulnerable young woman rather than the powerful individual she ultimately became. Born the illegitimate daughter of a peasant woman, Mme Du Barry was famed for her beauty, which brought her to the attention of the king who installed her at court in 1769.
Provenance
by 1927 -
Arthur Wesweiller, France [1]
- 1967
Blumka Gallery, New York, NY
1967 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from the Blumka Gallery [2]
Notes:
[1] The bust is listed as belonging to the collection of Arthur Wesweiller in the biography and critical catalogue of the Lemoynes. [Réau, Louis. "Une Dynastie de sculpteurs au XVIIIe siécle: Les Leymoyne." Paris: Les Beaux-Arts, 1927. p. 93]
[2] Invoice dated February 3, 1967 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, February 9, 1967.
Arthur Wesweiller, France [1]
- 1967
Blumka Gallery, New York, NY
1967 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from the Blumka Gallery [2]
Notes:
[1] The bust is listed as belonging to the collection of Arthur Wesweiller in the biography and critical catalogue of the Lemoynes. [Réau, Louis. "Une Dynastie de sculpteurs au XVIIIe siécle: Les Leymoyne." Paris: Les Beaux-Arts, 1927. p. 93]
[2] Invoice dated February 3, 1967 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, February 9, 1967.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.