Biscuit Bust Representing The Duke Of Morny, After Iselin. Early 20th Century.

Very pretty bust, in biscuit porcelain on a blue enamelled pedestal representing the Duke of Morny after "Iselin 1865". Auguste Charles Louis Joseph de Morny, Duke of Morny, (1811 - 1865), was a French financier and politician. He was a key player in the coup d'état of December 2, 1851. He was the natural son of the Queen of Holland Hortense de Beauharnais and the Count of Flahaut and the half-brother of Napoleon III. On the back of the bust is the signature "Iselin 1865". Henri-Frédéric Iselin (1825 - 1905) was a student of François Rude. He made his debut at the Salon of 1849 by exhibiting marble busts. In 1852, Iselin won his first gold medal for The Young Roman. His reputation reached the ears of Napoleon III and he became one of the Emperor's appointed sculptors in 1862. L/D/H: 27 X 15 X 36 cm Base: Ø 13 cm. H. 8 cm.