Presumed Bust Of Alphonse De Poitiers

Terracotta bust depicting the presumed portrait of Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of King Saint Louis and Count of Toulouse. This sculpture probably formed a decorative element of a castle or monument intended to evoke the prestige of medieval history in the South of France.
The work is fully in keeping with the Troubadour movement, an artistic movement particularly in vogue during the Restoration and the July Monarchy. Fascinated by the Middle Ages, the artists and patrons of the 1820s and 1840s rediscovered the great chivalric figures, Capetian princes and key episodes in France's history. Castles, halls of arms and historic residences were adorned with sculptures inspired by the sovereigns and lords of the XIIIᵉ century.
Alphonse de Poitiers (1220-1271), son of King Louis VIII and Blanche de Castille, was the younger brother of Saint Louis. Through his marriage to Jeanne de Toulouse, he became Count of Toulouse, governing one of the largest territories in the kingdom of France. His administration helped strengthen Capetian authority in the Midi after the upheavals of the Albigensian Crusade. When he died without a direct heir, the County of Toulouse was reunited with the Crown of France, marking an essential step in the unification of the kingdom.
The figure is depicted wearing a floral crown and a mantle adorned with rich relief decoration. Traces of ancient polychromy remain in places. The facial expression and idealized treatment of the features are reminiscent of the medieval sculptures in cathedrals and royal necropolises that inspired the troubadour artists of the XIXᵉ century.
Very fine piece of architecture and historical decoration, witness to the Romantic infatuation with the Middle Ages

Note: old restorations and fragilities.