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jean-antoine houdon (1741–1828) A Portrait Head of Voltaire Signed and dated HOUDON. 1778. Bronze, rich dark-brown patina 13 1⁄4 in. (33.5 cm), socle 4 in. (10.2 cm), 17 1⁄4 in. (43.8 cm) overall Born in Versailles, Jean-Antoine Houdon was a child prodigy. Having studied under MichelAnge Slodtz, in 1761 he won the Prix de Rome, and was sent to Rome in 1764 as a pensionnaire of the king. Upon his return to Paris in 1769 he was made a full member of the Academy, and quickly became recognised as the outstanding sculptural genius of the French Enlightenment period. Houdon had a long-standing relationship with America, as is testified by his iconic busts of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and his bust of Thomas Jefferson in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The present bust of Voltaire with naked chest portrays the philosopher and poet in the guise of an ancient Roman Republican. While representing Voltaire as if he were a classical figure, Houdon succeeds in capturing the features of a wise and truly modern thinker naturalistically. Over his lifetime Voltaire was depicted many times by many artists, although none of their portraits was received as well by Voltaire himself, and none of them became as iconic as Houdon’s serene and graceful depiction. related literature H.H. Arneson, The Sculptures of Houdon, London, 1975 L. Réau, Houdon: Sa vie et son œuvre, Paris, 1964, II, p. 44, no. 202
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