Portrait of King Charles I

Among the British elite in the 18th-century it was fashionable to commission sculpted portraits of famous men in history. Controversial historical figures like King
Charles I were less common than others. A splendid marble of the King was made by the sculptor Louis François Roubiliac, who ran a successful practice and was admired for his lifelike portraits. This bust seems to have been made in his workshop as a less costly version of the more imposing marble.