Voltaire

1778

Marble, 20 3/4 × 18 × 13 in. National Gallery of Art, Washington

A classical bust format given a lined, aged, lively face: likeness rather than ideal.

Look at

Deep-drilled curls in the wig catch dark shadows, against the smooth skin of the face.
The thin lips are pulled up into a slight smile and the eyes are cut to catch light, so the stone seems alert.
The coat falls in broad, plain planes, which keeps the eye on the busy wig and the face.

Inscribed on the back with Voltaire's birth in Paris in 1694 and his death in 1778, and signed on the arm 'Houdon, F. 1778'.
Made for the Lamorinière family; Widener Collection, 1942.