George Washington Houdon Bust Image. Early 19th century, 4¼ x 3¼ ", showing Washington in right profile, his hair tied in a queue and his chest covered with drapery, toga style, which is held by a button on the right shoulder. In 9 x 8¼" frame with label on the back from Williams & Everett, Boston art dealers (established in 1855) who sold original art as well as "photographs and carbon-pictures of eminent persons, noted places, and famous paintings."
At the invitation of Benjamin Franklin, French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828) visited Mount Vernon in October 1785 to observe Washington's movements and expressions. He modeled a bust in clay and made a life mask of Washington's face, from which Houdon and his assistants produced many versions of Washington, including busts, statuettes, and statues in plaster, bronze, and marble. Houdon's subjects also included Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, as well as philosophers, inventors and political figures of the Enlightenment.
Provenance:
1. Dr. Joseph Fields
2. Bruce Gimelson
3. Claude Harkins.
Estimated Value $500 - 1,000.
The Claude Harkins Collection of Washingtonia
