BUST OF VOLTAIRE
Creator(s): Jean-Antoine Houdon (Artist)
About this object
The bronze portrait bust depicts the celebrated French philosopher and writer François-Marie Arouet, who is best known by his nom de plume, Voltaire. The sculpture is a cast bronze version of the marble original, made in 1778 by the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon and today in the collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Angers, France. The original Voltaire bust, considered one of the most successful portraits of the writer, portrays him with great accuracy, without idealization, at the age of eighty-three. The bust rests on a marble base.
- Object name:
- BUST OF VOLTAIRE
- Made from:
- bronze -- marble
- Date made:
- 19th Century
- Size:
- 17 3/4 × 7 3/4 × 9 in. (45.1 × 19.7 × 22.9 cm)
Detailed information for this item
- Catalog number:
- 2019.5
- Signature marks:
- SIGNATURE HOUDON [Engraved on truncations]
- Credit line:
- Gift from the Estate of Joseph D. Tydings, 2019