George Washington
Creator(s)
Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741–1828)
Title
George Washington
Date created
ca. 1786
Medium
Plaster
Provenance
Gift of the heirs of Joseph Coolidge , Jr. , 1912
Location/Call number
UH150
Wall Label
The preeminent French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon sailed to the United States in 1785 to fulfill a commission from the American Congress to produce an equestrian monument to George Washington . That project was later abandoned . Nonetheless , at Mount Vernon , Houdon took a life mask and a made a clay bust of Washington and, after his return to Paris , used these to create a life-size , full-length portrait of the president for the Virginia State Capitol building in Richmond . (A cast of that statue is on view elsewhere on the Athenæum’s first floor) . Houdon also produced busts of Washington , including this one , which established the sculptural iconography for depicting the great man for nearly every American sculptor and painter who followed . Athenæum’s bust is not only a great example of neoclassical portraiture , it also has a stunning provenance : it was purchased in Paris by Thomas Jefferson for shipment to Monticello and, later , following Jefferson’s death in 1826 , was deposited at the Athenæum by his heirs .
Exhibition section
European_Influences:_Ancient_and_Modern
Link to Exhibit Page
http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/american-neoclassic-sculpture-at-boston-athenaeum
Source
UH150-NEA-JLT2013.jpg
Rights
Collection of the Boston Athenaeum. May not be reproduced or quoted without written permission. For more information, see http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/node/46
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