Artist/Maker
Jean Antoine Houdon
(French, 1741 - 1828)
Depicted
George Washington
(American, 1732 – 1799)
George Washington (1732–1799)
early 19th century
Plaster; painted ceramic
Overall: 9 1/2 in. × 21 1/2 in. × 12 in. (24.1 × 54.6 × 30.5 cm)
Purchase
1937.316
This bust follows the "Louvre type" of Houdon's Washington, with the subject wearing a pleated shirt with a round collar, a diagonal strap across the chest, and a piece of drapery across the left shoulder in the manner of a Roman senator. The original in the Louvre is believed to have been made in 1786, or very soon after Houdon returned to France from the United States.
DescriptionCast plaster portrait bust on painted ceramic socleSignedSigned on right shoulder [faint]: "Houdon f. 1778"
MarkingsInscribed on proper left shoulder: [illegible]
ClassificationsSCULPTURE
