Sculptor: Est-ce que (then, lapsing into English) the horse?
Assistant: Oui (same) it is.
S: A bit on the chubby side isn’t it? The stomach nearly hits the floor.
A: I think it is having trouble breathing.
S: Well, we can’t do anything about it now. Bring in the King’s stunt double, I just hope I have enough clay.
(The King’s double arrives and is seated on the King’s horse)
S: I said we wanted someone who looked like the King, not someone twice his size… the horse is going to give.
A: (Looks around helplessly)
S: For god’s sake, prop it up or the whole thing will go critical.
A: With what, Monsieur? (lapsing back for a moment)
S: I don’t know, a bucket, a pile of bricks, that tree stump over there.
And that’s what they did.
Image: replacement for the original bronze statue of Louis XIII that was cast in 1639
