BISCUIT BUST AFTER JEAN ANTOINE HOUDON (1741-1828): MODESTY

A biscuit porcelain bust depicting "Modesty," a young woman with a mischievous smile modestly concealing her nudity. The young woman's elaborate hairstyle consists of interwoven braids held by a headband, and a fringe frames her face. She holds a draped, antique-style gown with her arms crossed over her chest. This biscuit porcelain bust rests on a molded, round pedestal. This sculpture, full of movement and after Jean-Antoine Houdon, is characteristic of the modernity Houdon brought to statuary in the 18th century, particularly in the execution of his sculptures, which feature faces of extreme precision and remarkable realism.

Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828): The Sculptor of the Enlightenment.
Born in Versailles, Houdon began sculpting at the age of nine in the studio of Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, then became a student of Michel-Ange Slodtz, who would have a far greater influence on him. He entered the Academy and then won the Prix de Rome scholarship, where he stayed for nearly four years, from 1764 to 1768. There, he studied works from Antiquity to the Renaissance and quickly combined realism with Greek idealism. He created various portraits of Voltaire, Diderot, and also of King Louis XVI, whose marble version was exhibited at the Salon of 1790. Belonging to a Masonic lodge that supported the young American republic, he received commissions from Thomas Jefferson and then from the state of Virginia to "capture" the likeness of George Washington. He was one of the few artists to have traveled to North America at that time.

Condition report: in very good condition.