Unknown Man

Maker Unknown, French

Makerformerly attributed to Jean-Antoine Houdon (French, 1741 - 1828)

Additional Title(s)

Possibly member of the d'Albenas family

ClassificationsSCULPTURE

Date1785-1799

Mediumterracotta

Dimensions17 1/8 in. (43.5 cm.)

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.

Status

On view

Label TextThis terracotta bust of a man depicted bare-chested and truncated at the torso alludes to antique portraiture. The à l’antique style was usually reserved for Enlightenment thinkers, writers, and academics. It was popularized in 18th-century France by Jean-Antoine Houdon, whose influence can also be seen in the sculpting of the eyes, with a post of material left in the center of the pupil to catch and reflect the light, and the hair, with its wide clumps and impressionistic texture.

Object number27.82