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Buste D'Alexandre Brongniart Enfant by Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828)

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1770. Terra cotta. 14-1/6" high. Signed "REMBRANDT F: 1770".

During the second half of the eighteenth century, there was considerable development in the child portrait, a genre that had been relatively neglected up until that time. Influenced by the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French society became deeply interested in the problems of education and was moved by the discovery of the charms of the childhood.

A faithful portrayer of his times, Houdon was not unaware of this new form of expression and himself began to do portraits of children. Thus he created numerous busts including several of his own young daughters. One of his most successful creations is his portrait of Alexandre Brongniart who was the son of the famous architect Alexandre-Theodore Brongniart, a close friend of Houdon. Although Houdon was accustomed to portraying male subjects in a noble manner, he adopted a simple, familiar approach so as to capture the delicacy of the child's face. The viewer is immediately captured by the mischievous yet intelligent expression of the seven-year-old boy. Moreover, Houdon's young model was to have a brillant career. At age 30 he became director of the famous Sevres ceramics works and gained a reputation as a chemist and geologist as well.

The terra cotta original of this bust was unequaled in delicacy of modeling. It remained in the Brongniart family until 1898, when it was acquired by the Louvre, along with its companion piece, the bust of Louise Brongniart, Alexandre's younger sister. One finds in these two sculptures the freedom of execution which characterizes Houdon's works; the fleshy areas seem supple, the movement is wholly natural, the hair is treated in detail, and a touch of light falls on the delicately carved eyes which creates the illusion of life. The success of these "Little Brongniarts," when shown at the Salon of 1777,was so great that the artist produced several copies of them. One, in marble, is now the National Gallery in Washington.
297261
Viewed: Jul 03, 2025
Updated: Jan 27, 2025
Priced: Aug 07, 2022

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