Louise Brongniart by Houdon - Child bust from Louvre
Louise Brongniart sculpted by the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon (Paris, 1741-1828). He studied in Rome at the Academy of France, from 1764 to 1768.
Hand made in Italy
Louise was the doughter of Alexandre Théodore Brongniart, the famous architect of the Bourse (old Stock Exchange) in Paris. This bust demonstrate Houdon's marvelous ability to express the freshness of childhood without sentimentality. Louise still has the slight chubbiness of a young infant. In his rendering of her eyes, Houdon portrays her with the serious expression children sometimes have. Louise is nude. Louise still has the round cheeks of a very young child, and her hair is carefully swept up in a bun secured by a band with a bow on the top. The color of the eyes is conveyed by differing treatments: Louise's irises are deeply hollowed out, the resulting shadow imparting a darker, more serious look.
- Height
- 38
- Width
- 24
- Length
- 22
- Weight
- 6
- Round base diameter Ø
- 20
- Manufacturing
- Made in Italy
- Material
- Terracotta