After Jean-Antoine Houdon, (1741-1828) Portrait bust of Louise Brongniart (1772-1845)

After Jean-Antoine Houdon, (1741-1828)

Portrait bust of Louise Brongniart (1772-1845)

Terracotta on marble base

Among the numerous busts Houdon showed at the Salon of 1777 were a pair of Louise Brongniart and her brother Alexandre, both children of the distinguished Neoclassical architect Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart (1739–1813). The originals, now believed to be the terracottas in the Louvre, were among the sculptor’s most popular creations and that of the five-year-old Louise, in particular, was reproduced well into the twentieth century with an often-adapted design, as the bust presented here.

Born in Versailles in March 1741 Jean-Antoine Houdon was a French Neo-Classical sculptor best known for his busts of contemporary political and cultural figures of the French Enlightenment. He often sculpted directly from life or by casting his model’s faces and was known particularly for his portraits. Hailed for his deft ability to convey a sitter’s personality and liveliness in marble, bronze, plaster, and clay his works have remained ever popular over the centuries.