Items Similar to A Bronze Bust of Benjamin Franklin after Houdon
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
A Bronze Bust of Benjamin Franklin after Houdon
About the Item
After Jean-Antoine Houdon (French, 1741-1828) a bronze bust of Benjamin Franklin on a white marble base, circa 1880
This bronze bust of Benjamin Franklin after Jean-Antoine Houdon, is a striking example of 18th century portraiture. Houdon was a renowned French sculptor who was known for his lifelike depictions of prominent individuals of his time, and Franklin was one of his most famous subjects.
This bust is a copy of Houdon's original marble bust of Franklin, which was commissioned by the State of Virginia in 1785. The bust depicts Franklin as an elderly man, with his signature long hair pulled back. His face is rendered in exquisite detail, capturing the sharp features and piercing gaze that were characteristic of Franklin.
It is a testament to Houdon's skill as a sculptor, and his ability to capture the likeness and personality of his subjects in his work. It is also a tribute to Franklin's stature as a statesman and intellectual, and his enduring legacy as one of America's founding fathers.
Today, bronzes of Benjamin Franklin are a popular subject for collectors and art enthusiasts, and can be found in many public and private collections around the world. Its enduring popularity is a testament to both Houdon's artistry and Franklin's enduring legacy as one of America's most influential figures.
Inscribed Houdon f. 1778 on side.
Measures : 19" high x 12" wide x 6" deep
Very good condition, no damages noted.
- Dimensions:Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)Width: 12 in (30.48 cm)Depth: 6 in (15.24 cm)
- Medium:
- After:Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741 - 1828, French)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1151212024142
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 1980
1stDibs seller since 2019
13 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- A Rare and Important Bronze Bust of MichelangeloBy Albert-Ernest Carrier-BelleuseLocated in New York, NYAlbert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, (1824 1887) A Rare and Important Patinated Bronze Bust of Michelangelo On A Rouge Marble Base. Presenting an extraordinary and highly collectible ma...Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsMarble, Bronze
- La Chasse Au Lion, The Lion Hunt, Monumental Bronze Sculpture after Aime MilletLocated in New York, NY"La Chasse Au Lion", "The Lion Hunt", A Monumental French Orientalist Bronze Sculpture after Aime Millet (1818–1891), circa late 19th century. This bronze s...Category
Late 19th Century Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Rare Patinated Bronze Sculpture of Benjamin Franklin, by A. Carrier-BelleuseBy Albert-Ernest Carrier-BelleuseLocated in New York, NYAlbert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (France, 1824-1887) A rare seated bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin holding his walking stick and hat, with a book in his ri...Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- A Large and Exceptional Japanese Meiji Period Tokyo School Bronze SculptureLocated in New York, NYPresenting an extraordinary Large and Exceptional Japanese Meiji Period Tokyo School Bronze Sculpture depicting a delightful ensemble of six energe...Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- A Monumental French Patinated Bronze Bust of William Shakespeare, after HoudonBy F. Barbedienne FoundryLocated in New York, NYA Monumental French Patinated Bronze Bust of William Shakespeare, after Houdon, by F. Barbedienne Foundry, circa 1870. Masterfully and realistically sculpted in solid bronze, this b...Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- A Rare Gilt and Patinated Bronze Jockey on A Horse, circa 1875By Isidore Jules BonheurLocated in New York, NYIsidore-Jules Bonheur (French, 1827–1901) A Rare Gilt and Patinated Bronze Jockey on A Horse, circa 1875. Introducing a truly exceptional and highly so...Category
19th Century Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
You May Also Like
- Surreal Figurative Sculpture, "Lovers"Located in San Diego, CAThis is a one of a kind original bronze surrealist figurative sculpture by San Diego artist, Debbie Korbel. Its dimensions are 41" x 42" x 34". A certifi...Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Antique Italian Grand Tour Bronze Marble Bust Sculpture Dante Alighieri 1880Located in Portland, ORA good antique Italian Grand Tour Bronze and marble bust of Dante Alighieri, circa 1880. The bronze is most likely Florentine and mod...Category
Late 19th Century Italian School Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsMarble, Bronze
- WHITE HINGED POEM DRESS,By Lesley DillLocated in New York, NYLESLEY DILL WHITE HINGED POEM DRESS, 1994 patinated bronze 55 x 37 x 30 in. 139.7 x 94 x 76.2 cm. Edition of 4Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
- Growing in a Fragmented LandscapeBy Jennyfer StratmanLocated in Los Angeles, CAThere is a metaphorical interplay between the natural imagery international artist, Jennyfer Stratman, uses and its multiple meanings. While the human figure features strongly, it is...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsMetal, Bronze, Enamel, Steel, Copper
- Cefiro - Renaissance Inspired Bronze Sculpture of an Acrobat set on Tall StandBy Jesus Curia PerezLocated in Chicago, ILCefiro is derived from the Spanish word for Zephyr, meaning a soft gentle wind which brings spring to the Mediterranean. The word also depicts beauty and playfulness. This figure p...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze, Steel
- The Story of Joseph from the Second Baptistery Doors, Florence (“The Gates of PaBy Ferdinand BarbedienneLocated in New York, NYFerdinand Barbedienne (Saint-Martin-de-Fresnay 1810 – 1892 Paris) after Lorenzo Ghiberti (Florence, 1378 – 1455) Signed at the lower right of the principal relief: F. BARBEDIENNE Provenance: Private Collection, USA. Barbedienne’s “Gates of Paradise” reliefs are one of the triumphs of nineteenth-century bronze casting and patination. The nine panels that comprise our example are half-size reductions of the famous originals by Lorenzo Ghiberti, made for the Baptistery of Florence and now housed in the Museo del Opera del Duomo. Mounted in an impressive, mullioned frame surround, our work is an exceptional exemplar of the Renaissance Revival, the broadly influential style and movement that infused architecture, design, and artistic culture in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The central scene, The Story of Joseph, is perhaps the most celebrated of the entire series depicting as it does seven episodes from the Biblical narrative integrated into a single composition: Joseph cast by his brethren into the well, Joseph sold to the merchants, the merchants delivering Joseph to the pharaoh, Joseph interpreting the pharaoh’s dream, the pharaoh paying him honor, Jacob sending his sons to Egypt, and Joseph recognizes his brothers and returns home. The surrounding reliefs—two vertical figures in niches, two recumbent figures, and four portrait heads in roundels—are as well faithful reductions of Ghiberti’s original bronzes on other parts of the doors. The maker of these casts was the renowned 19th-century French fondeur Ferdinand Barbedienne. Gary Radke has recently written of this great enterprise: “The Parisian bronze caster Ferdinand Barbedienne began making half-sized copies of ancient and Renaissance sculpture in the 1830s. His firm benefitted enormously from the collaboration of Achille Collas, whom Meredith Shedd has shown was one of numerous pioneers in the mechanical reproduction of sculpture. Their competitors largely devoted themselves to reproducing relief sculpture, but Collas devised a process for creating fully three-dimensional copies. A tracing needle, powered by a treadle, moved over the surface of a full-sized plaster cast or bronze of the original and triggered a complementary action in a cutting stylus set over a soft plaster blank…He signed an exclusive contract with Barbedienne on November 29, 1838, and won medals for his inventions in 1839 and 1844. Barbedienne’s half-sized copies of the Gates of Paradise were famous not only for their fidelity to the original, but also for the way their gilding…suggested the glimmering surface that was hidden under centuries of dirt. Some critics even saw Collas’s and Barbedienne’s work as ‘philanthropic, an exemplary adaptation of industry to the requirements of art, the artist, the workers, and the public alike.’ At 25,000 francs, Collas’s and Barbedienne’s reduction of the Gates of Paradise was singularly more expensive than any other item for sale in their shop. All the reliefs, individual statuettes, and busts were cast separately and could be purchased either by the piece or as an ensemble. Fittingly, Barbedienne’s accomplishment earned him the Grand Prix at the 1878 Paris Exposition Universelle, along with numerous other medals.” Three complete examples of the Barbedienne-Ghiberti doors are known. One, first installed in a chapel in the Villa Demidoff of San Donato near Pratolino, was later acquired by William Vanderbilt...Category
Late 19th Century Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsBronze
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Figurative And Bust Sculptures
Original Antique Bronze Sculpture Art Sculptures
Antique Legacy
Bronze Sculpture 19 Century
Virginia 19th Century
Lifelike Sculpture
Jean White Bronze
Bronze Bust American
Bronze Man On Marble Base
Bronze Bust Man
Bronze Bust Of Man
Bronze Sculpture Bust Man
18th Century Marble Bust
Marble Mans Bust
Marble Bust Of A Man
Benjamin Franklin
Bronze Bust 18th
18th Century Bronze Bust