Engravings> 1700 > 'Molière', engraving by Auguste St. Aubin(1736–1807) taken from a marble's sculpture by Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828), late 18th.
'Molière', engraving by Auguste St. Aubin(1736–1807) taken from a marble's sculpture by Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828), late 18th.
Description:The fame of celebrated sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon was based, first and foremost, on his prestigious collection of half-bust and full-figure sculptures, which helped to make him the unrivalled master of the genre that was perhaps explored more than any other by the sculptors of the period and was certainly the public’s favourite.
Many of the leading lights of the day posed in Houdon’s atelier for the sculpting of busts that were replicated multiple times, cast in gesso or bronze, to meet the demand from collectors and admirers throughout most of Europe. The series was inaugurated by the bust of Diderot, followed by the bust of Molière in 1776 (shown here). Houdon’s 'Seated Voltaire' (Paris, Comédie Francaise) triumphed at the Salon of 1781.
Houdon’s style is characterised by what is clearly a realist approach, with the anatomy and psychological expression very much in evidence.
The convincingly real nature of Houdon’s sculptures, which are always positioned in such a way as to give the impression that the figures are about to turn their gaze to face the viewer, allows the sculptor both to avoid the seductive pitfalls of the late rococo period (to which he does, however, succumb on occasion, particularly in his vivacious sculptures of young children) and to modify his style to fit in which the all-too-rigid alternative to rococo, the neo-classical taste, which nevertheless did exert its own influence over his late period.
Molière (Paris: January 14, 1622 – February 17, 1673).
Age:Late 18th
Dimensions:15 x 9.5cm / 5.9 x 3.7 inches.
Price: Sold
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