Lot Essay
Houdon was compelled to sculpt the portrait of Voltaire, not only to complete his collection of Famous Men, but also because the sentiment and vision of both artists were so parallel. The sculptor was able to arrange sittings with the famous writer in 1778, a few months prior to his death. As soon as the public was aware that Houdon had made a mask of Voltaire, commissions for the portrait in various mediums materialized.
The first evidence of the Seated Voltaire was the gilt-bronze in the Salon of 1779, a commission from Catherine II of Russia. It is probable that this was made from a model for the monument to Voltaire, organized by Madame Denis, the philosopher's niece. The monument was first intended for the Académie Française, but was ultimately presented to the Comédie Française in 1781 (as well as a second marble for Catherine, now in the Hermitage). Between the 1778 sitting and the dedication of the Comédie marble three year later, Houdon reworked the Seated Voltaire at least three times. According to Arnason (The Sculptures of Houdon, New York, 1975, p. 51), the differences between the small figures (which he refers to as miniatures for cabinets des amateurs) and the large marbles and their models are: changing the perruque to natural hair, moving his left hand from his lap to the arm of the chair, re-positioning the feet, re-working the folds of the drapery and the features and expression of the sitter. Another significant change is in the type of chair on which Voltaire is seated.
Although Voltaire was the most popular subject Houdon sculpted, the small models in terracotta and plaster are rare. Only three terracottas are recorded: Musée Lambinet, Versailles; Musée d'Art et Histoire, Geneva: and the Collection of Edmund Courty, Chatillon-sous-Bagneux. Only five other plasters of this model, all with red wax seal, signed and dated 1778 and painted to resemble terracotta are known:
The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore (ex-Seligmann collection)
The Collection of Edmund Courty, Chatillon-sous-Bagneux (formerly Doucet collection)
Louvre, Paris (gift of Henri Gillet)
Musée de Nantes, Nantes (formerly Combe collection)
The collection of Franklin H. Kissner; Christie's, New York,
May 18, 1989, lot 164)
The technical quality and psychological realism of the present plaster prove Houdon's incomparable ability as the pre-eminent portrait sculptor of his time.
The first evidence of the Seated Voltaire was the gilt-bronze in the Salon of 1779, a commission from Catherine II of Russia. It is probable that this was made from a model for the monument to Voltaire, organized by Madame Denis, the philosopher's niece. The monument was first intended for the Académie Française, but was ultimately presented to the Comédie Française in 1781 (as well as a second marble for Catherine, now in the Hermitage). Between the 1778 sitting and the dedication of the Comédie marble three year later, Houdon reworked the Seated Voltaire at least three times. According to Arnason (The Sculptures of Houdon, New York, 1975, p. 51), the differences between the small figures (which he refers to as miniatures for cabinets des amateurs) and the large marbles and their models are: changing the perruque to natural hair, moving his left hand from his lap to the arm of the chair, re-positioning the feet, re-working the folds of the drapery and the features and expression of the sitter. Another significant change is in the type of chair on which Voltaire is seated.
Although Voltaire was the most popular subject Houdon sculpted, the small models in terracotta and plaster are rare. Only three terracottas are recorded: Musée Lambinet, Versailles; Musée d'Art et Histoire, Geneva: and the Collection of Edmund Courty, Chatillon-sous-Bagneux. Only five other plasters of this model, all with red wax seal, signed and dated 1778 and painted to resemble terracotta are known:
The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore (ex-Seligmann collection)
The Collection of Edmund Courty, Chatillon-sous-Bagneux (formerly Doucet collection)
Louvre, Paris (gift of Henri Gillet)
Musée de Nantes, Nantes (formerly Combe collection)
The collection of Franklin H. Kissner; Christie's, New York,
May 18, 1989, lot 164)
The technical quality and psychological realism of the present plaster prove Houdon's incomparable ability as the pre-eminent portrait sculptor of his time.