George Washington

1786/1793

Jean-Antoine Houdon

Associated Names
Jean-Antoine Houdon

Sculptor, French, 1741 - 1828

The sculpture is a bust of a man from the chest up. His hair is slightly wavy and pulled back from his face. He has high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips in a neutral expression. He wears a pleated tunic or shirt with a shawl or cloth draped over one shoulder and a wide strap over the other shoulder. The material of the sculpture is off-white, with some areas of light gray. The bust is mounted on a simple, rounded pedestal.”

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

J.M. Bouvier Collection, Paris;[1] (Newhouse Galleries, New York); Robert L. McNeil, Jr. [1915-2010], Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania; (sale, Sotheby's, New York, 24 May 1989, no. 16, bought in); Robert L. McNeil, Jr. [1915-2010], Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania; gift 1991 to NGA.
[1] A letter written by H.Harvard Arnason, in NGA curatorial files, states that the work was in the Bouvier collection for at least 2 generations.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1995

  • Temple of Liberty: Building the Capitol for a New Nation, The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 1995, no. 26, fig. 12.

Bibliography

1992

  • Gibson, Eric. "Sculptures Climax the National Gallery's 50th." Washington Times (February 2, 1992).

1997

  • Clark, H. Nichols B., A Marble Quarry, The James H. Ricau Collection of Sculpture at the Chrysler Museum of Art, 1997, no. 67, p. 155, repro.

Inscriptions

applied red wax seal on back: ACADEM. ROYALE DE PEINTURE ET SCULPT. HOUDON SC.

Wikidata ID

Q63860899

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