French Antique Bronze Sculpture “Bust of Voltaire” after Jean-Antoine Houdon

JEAN-ANTOINE HOUDON (after)
French, 1741-1828

"Bust of Voltaire"

Patinated bronze | signed to reverse HOUDON
Foundry cachet for Susse Freres and engraved "cire purdue"
Cast circa late 19th/early 20th century

22 1/2" H, base 7 1/2" W x 7 1/2" D
ref. 507QED30A



This patinated bronze bust depicts Voltaire as conceived by Jean-Antoine Houdon during the final year of the philosopher’s life. The present example was cast by Susse Frères using the lost-wax method. It bears the signature HOUDON on the reverse.

The bronze displays a rich and warm patina that settles naturally into the modeling of the surface, allowing the subtleties of the face to read clearly without distraction. The figure's hair features a lovely texturing that was likely captured by hand-hammering in the foundry by the ciseleur.

Houdon’s treatment of Voltaire is unusually intimate. The head is slightly inclined, the mouth gently tightened as if holding back a remark while his eyes carry a distinct glimmer of mischief. Evoked in the portrait is Voltaire's great underlying sense of humor, but it is restrained to its essence rather than theatrical. The expression suggests a man who observes more than he speaks, amused by what he sees and fully aware of his own sharpness. The drapery is handled with confidence and economy, framing the head without competing with it, and grounding the likeness in a sense of physical presence rather than abstraction.

Voltaire, born François-Marie Arouet in 1694, was among the most influential voices of the Enlightenment. His legacy rests not only on his philosophical positions but on the manner in which he delivered them. Satire, irony, and wit were central tools in his critique of religious intolerance, political absolutism, and intellectual complacency. Houdon’s portrait succeeds because it captures this temperament rather than merely recording physical features. The eyes, slightly asymmetrical and deeply engaged, convey intelligence in motion. They suggest a mind always turning, always measuring, and often amused by the contradictions of the world around him.

Jean-Antoine Houdon, born in Versailles in 1741, was the leading portrait sculptor of his generation. Trained at the Académie Royale and later in Rome, he developed a sculptural language grounded in close observation and anatomical understanding. Houdon worked directly from life whenever possible, seeking not idealized types but individuals rendered with psychological clarity. His portraits are marked by a balance of precision and warmth, allowing the sitter’s character to emerge naturally through structure rather than exaggeration.

Houdon produced multiple portraits of Voltaire, beginning in the early 1770s and culminating in the famous bust of 1778, executed shortly before Voltaire’s death. The image was immediately recognized as definitive and was reproduced in various materials during Houdon’s lifetime and long afterward. Alongside Voltaire, Houdon created enduring likenesses of Rousseau, Diderot, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, establishing a visual record of Enlightenment thought that remains unmatched.

This bronze is a reduction of the full length marble statue of Voltaire executed originally by Houdon in 1781. Upon first seeing this portrait of Voltaire, Auguste Rodin exclaimed "What a marvel it is! It is the personification of malice. See! his sidelong glance seems watching some adversary. He has the pointed nose of a fox... You can see it quiver! And the mouth - what a triumph! It is framed by two furrows of irony. It seems to mumble sarcasm." (See Art Bronzes, Michael Forrest, 1988, p. 14)

Condition: Good condition and fine presentation. No observed flaws. Minor rubbing to original patina. Surface cleaned, waxed and a lovely translucent hue. Ready to place.