This man represented by this terracotta bust has not yet been identified although it is a signed and dated (June 1786) work. He wears a periwig, the queue tied with a ribbon. His broad collared coat shows three buttons on each side. Above the lapels are visible a lace frill and the collar of a waistcoat. The neck is bound with a stock.

The sculptor, Pierre Merard (? - 1800), was a pupil of Edmé Bouchardon (1698-1762) and exhibited at the Salons in Paris in the 1790s. He died in 1800. His recorded work largely consists of busts and portrait medallions.

Gallery location:
Europe 1600-1815, Room 4, case WN

Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London