A CIRCULAR PLASTER DOUBLE PORTRAIT RELIEF OF THE MONTGOLFIER BROTHERS

Brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier invented the "Montgolfière-style" hot air balloon, or the globe aérostatique, which first launched Jacques-Étienne into the sky in 1783. Celebrities of their day, their profiles were recognized throughout France and such portrait reliefs would have hung on the walls of enthusiasts' homes. That same year, Houdon was commissioned to design a medal in honor of the Montgolfier brothers. The two brothers' superposed profiles are reminiscent of conquerors on Antique cameos and recall Houdon's marble medallion of Apollo done the year before. The original gilt-bronze relief is now in the musée de l’Air et de l’Espace, Le Bourget, Paris.