Early 19th Century French Biscuit Porcelain Bust of Napoleon as First Consul

A fine and particularly decorative early 19th century French biscuit porcelain portrait bust of Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul, after the celebrated model by Louis-Simon Boizot (1743–1809). Napoleon is portrayed as a young First Consul, his head turned slightly to dexter and wearing a high-collared military jacket with finely modelled buttons and an incised foliate vine decoration to the collar and lapels. The restrained modelling and unglazed biscuit porcelain give the portrait the elegant Neoclassical appearance associated with French portrait sculpture of the period. The bust is raised upon a finely turned gilt-metal socle, which in turn stands upon an unusually impressive graduated marble pedestal. The cylindrical central section incorporates richly figured coloured marble between white marble platforms and is finished with decorative gilt-metal braided borders, creating a particularly handsome architectural presentation. The coloured marble also bears a small gilt decorative device, adding further interest to the base. The original model is associated with the distinguished French sculptor Louis-Simon Boizot, one of the leading sculptors of late 18th-century France and an important figure at the Sèvres porcelain manufactory. Boizot produced a number of celebrated Neoclassical portrait models, and representations of Napoleon based upon his work continued to be produced during the 19th century. This example is not being represented as Sèvres, as no factory mark is present; it is correctly described as a French 19th-century biscuit porcelain bust after the model by Boizot. Material; Biscuit porcelain, marble and gilt metal.