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Louis XIV

King Louis XIV

Saint-Germain-en-Laye 1638 - Versailles 1715
King of France, 1643-1715
(Wikipedia)

Nicolas & Guillaume Coustou & François-Frédéric Lemot
Fonderie du Roule (Paris)
1825 (1720)

Description

Equestrian statue of Louis XIV as Roman emperor riding the horse 'à la romaine' (without saddle or stirrups – an urban legend wants that Lemot committed suicide after finding out that he had forgotten the stirrups).

The equestrian statue is sculpted by François-Frédéric Lemot and dates from 1825. It replaces a 1713 statue by Martin Desjardins, destroyed during the French revolution in 1792. The pedestal is flanked by fluvial allegories installed in 1721: The Rhône by Guillaume Coustou to the right of the king (facing the river Rhône), and the Saône by Nicolas Coustou to the left of the king (facing the Saône).

Lyon - Louis XIV
Rhône
Saône

Copies of these two river allegories are found at the Pont Lafayette in Lyon.

Inscription(s)

LOUIS XIV
roi de france
1638 1715

CHEF D'OEVVRE
de
LEMOT
scvlptevr lyonnois

Signature

(Rhône) fait et fondv par gvill.^me covstov lionnois 1719

Lyon - Louis XIV

Sculptors

Nicolas Coustou (Lyon 1658 - Paris 1733) and Guillaume Coustou (Lyon 1677 - Paris 1746), French sculptors, brothers (Wikipedia: Nicolas and Guillaume).
François-Frédéric Lemot (Lyon 1771 - Paris 1827), French sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Wikipedia, Liste des œuvres publiques de Lyon.
Wikipedia, Statue équestre de Louis XIV (Lyon).
e-Monumen.net, Monumen.
Kees van Tilburg, From Marcus Aurelius to Kim Jong-il: The story of equestrian statues throughout the ages (Amstelveen, 2017). – see also the Equestrian statue website.
Daniel F. Valot, Jeux et Photos de Lyon, Statues and Sculptures.

Location (N 45°45'28" - E 4°49'55")

Item Code: frra035; Photograph: 10 August 2018
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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