White marble bust 'la Pudeur' after J-A. Houdon, XIXth century

Important bust of 3/4 in white marble carrara representing "La Pudeur", young woman with a mischievous smile modestly hiding her nudity. The young woman has an elaborate hairstyle of intertwined braids held by a headband and a fringe dresses her face. She holds her arms crossed over her chest, a dress draped in the antique style. This remarkable bust in white Carrara marble rests on a round molded pedestal. This sculpture full of movement after Jean-Antoine Houdon, is characteristic of the modernity that the latter brought from the eighteenth century in the statuary and the execution of his sculptures with faces of extreme precision and great realism.

Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828): the sculptor of the Enlightenment

Born in Versailles, Houdon began sculpting at the age of 9 in the workshop of Jean-Baptiste Pigalle and then became a student of Michelangelo Slodtz who influenced him much more. He entered the Academy and was awarded the Rome Prize where he stayed for nearly 4 years from 1764 to 1768. He studied works from Antiquity to the Renaissance and quickly combined realism with Greek idealism. He made various portraits of Voltaire, Diderot, but also of King Louis XVI whose marble will be presented at the Salon of 1790. Belonging to a Masonic lodge supporting the young American republic, he was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson and then by the state of Virginia to "fix" the features of George Washington. He is one of the few artists to have made the trip to North America at the time.

Circa: 1890

Dim: W: 34cm, D: 20cm, H: 59cm.
Dim: W: 13,4in, D: 7,9in, H: 23,2in.

Condition report: Very good condition.