Jean-Antoine Houdon

(French, 1741–1828)

Jean-Antoine Houdon a French Neoclassical portrait sculptor, best known for his busts of contemporary political and cultural figures of the French Enlightenment. His work is characterized by its lively sense of realism and lack of idealism, capturing his subject’s transient expressions. Influenced by Classical masters such as Michelangelo, he often sculpted directly from life or by casting his model’s faces. He was born in Versailles, France on March 25, 1741, and after attending several French institutions of fine art during his youth—notably including the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture—Houdon found success after submitting his terra-cotta patinated plaster cast Morpheus to the Paris Salon of 1771. He had a lengthy and prolific career, sculpting such prominent figures as Napoleon Bonaparte, Voltaire, and even George Washington, for which he crossed the Atlantic and spent 12 days at Mount Vernon. Though he fell out of popularity and narrowly avoided imprisonment at the hands of the French Revolution for his bourgeois ties, his popularity later resumed and he was inducted into the Legion of Honor in 1804. He died in Paris, France on July 15, 1828, and is now interred in the famed Montparnasse Cemetery.

Jean-Antoine Houdon Artworks

Jean-Antoine Houdon (550 results)
Patinated bronze bust of Benjamin Franklin...

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Patinated bronze bust of Benjamin Franklin...

Sale Date: April 30, 2024

Auction Closed

Parian bust of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Parian bust of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Sale Date: April 30, 2024

Auction Closed

Buste de Voltaire sur piedouche., 1778

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Buste de Voltaire sur piedouche., 1778

Sale Date: May 5, 2024

Auction Closed

Buste de Voltaire sur piedouche.

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Buste de Voltaire sur piedouche.

Sale Date: May 5, 2024

Auction Closed

La frileuse

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

La frileuse

Sale Date: April 12, 2024

Auction Closed

La frileuse

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

La frileuse

Sale Date: April 12, 2024

Auction Closed

Diane chasseresse

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Diane chasseresse

Sale Date: April 18, 2024

Auction Closed

Diane chasseresse

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Diane chasseresse

Sale Date: April 18, 2024

Auction Closed

Portrait

Jean-Antoine Houdon

Portrait

Sale Date: April 13, 2024

Auction Closed

« L’EMPEREUR NAPOLEON IER EN HERMES COURONNE

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

« L’EMPEREUR NAPOLEON IER EN HERMES COURONNE

Sale Date: March 24, 2024

Auction Closed

« L’EMPEREUR NAPOLEON IER EN HERMES COURONNE

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

« L’EMPEREUR NAPOLEON IER EN HERMES COURONNE

Sale Date: March 24, 2024

Auction Closed

Two Plasterwork Models of L'Ecorche

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Two Plasterwork Models of L'Ecorche

Sale Date: March 15, 2024

Auction Closed

La Pudeur

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

La Pudeur

Sale Date: March 15, 2024

Auction Closed

Two Plasterwork Models of L'Ecorche

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Two Plasterwork Models of L'Ecorche

Sale Date: March 15, 2024

Auction Closed

Christophe-Willibald Gluck (1714 - 1787)

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Christophe-Willibald Gluck (1714 - 1787)

Sale Date: November 16, 2023

Auction Closed

Buste de Diane en marbre blanc sur piédouche...

Jean-Antoine Houdon

Buste de Diane en marbre blanc sur piédouche...

Sale Date: February 9, 2024

Auction Closed

Madame Recamier's bust (designed by Jean-Antoine

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Madame Recamier's bust (designed by Jean-Antoine

Sale Date: January 26, 2024

Auction Closed

Portrait d'homme

Follower of Jean-Antoine Houdon

Portrait d'homme

Sale Date: December 13, 2023

Auction Closed

La Baiser Donné

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

La Baiser Donné

Sale Date: December 13, 2023

Auction Closed

Voltaire assis

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Voltaire assis

Sale Date: May 26, 2023

Auction Closed

Voltaire assis

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Voltaire assis

Sale Date: January 17, 2023

Auction Closed

A BUST OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, 1800–1899

Attributed to Jean-Antoine Houdon

A BUST OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, 1800–1899

Sale Date: January 19, 2024

Auction Closed

A FRENCH BISCUIT PORCELAIN BUST OF..., 1800–1899

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

A FRENCH BISCUIT PORCELAIN BUST OF..., 1800–1899

Sale Date: January 19, 2024

Auction Closed

Bust of Diana the Huntress

After Jean-Antoine Houdon

Bust of Diana the Huntress

Sale Date: November 21, 2023

Auction Closed