Bust In Biscuit After Jean Antoine Houdon (1741 1828): Modesty
£2,112 per item
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Item details
Height
51.0 cm
Width
26.0 cm
Depth
20.0 cm
Wear conditions
Good
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
Bust in biscuit depicting "La Pudeur", a young woman with a mischievous smile who modestly conceals her nudity. The young woman's hair is decorated with intertwined braids held in place by a headband, and her face is adorned with bangs. Her arms are crossed over her chest, holding an antique-style draped dress. This bust in biscuit rests on a round molded pedestal. This lively sculpture by Jean-Antoine Houdon is typical of the modernity he brought to statuary and the execution of his extremely precise, highly realistic face sculptures in the 18th century.
Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828): the sculptor of the Enlightenment
Born in Versailles, Houdon began sculpting at the age of 9 in Jean-Baptiste Pigalle's workshop, before becoming a pupil of Michel-Ange Slodtz, who would influence him even further. He entered the Académie and was awarded the Prix de Rome scholarship, where he stayed for almost 4 years from 1764 to 1768. There, he studied works from Antiquity to the Renaissance, quickly combining realism with Greek idealism. He produced various portraits of Voltaire and Diderot, as well as of King Louis XVI, whose marble was exhibited at the Salon of 1790. As a member of a Masonic lodge supporting the young American republic, he was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson and later by the state of Virginia to "fix" the features of George Washington. He was one of the few artists to travel to North America at the time.
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Returns
We have a 14-day return guarantee for orders from individual sellers, within the UK and European Union. View full policy.
Estimated delivery time
Less than one week
Free collection available
Yes
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- Selling at Vinterior since 2019
- Ships from Paris, France
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Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 24th March 2025
We want everybody’s Vinterior experience to be seamless, so both buyers and sellers can fall in love with pre-loved. We designed our Terms of sale to treat everybody fairly.
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