The French royal porcelain manufactory at Sèvres produced busts of Franklin in several sizes, to take advantage of the fevered interest in him that was consuming the populations of European countries. They were cast in Sèvres' unglazed (biscuit) porcelain, valued for its resemblance to marble; and mounted on round bases (socles). Some, like the example illustrated here, were mounted on socles glazed in Sèvres' celebrated lapis blue and ornamented with gold. This base is marked by gilder Etienne-Henri LeGuay, and has on it the French Revolutionary factory marks for the period 1793-95.