Description
Jean-Antoine Houdon
(French, 1741-1828)
“L’Hiver”
gilt bronze sculpture
signed “Houdon” and with foundry mark “F. Barbedienne, Fondeur”
Height: 17 1/2 x 7 inches
Literature: This gilt-bronze reduction of Jean-Antoine Houdon’s L’Hiver (also known as La Frileuse) was produced by the renowned Paris foundry of Ferdinand Barbedienne in the late 19th century, as documented in the firm’s 1886 sales catalogue Bronze d’Art F. Barbedienne. Harold Berman illustrates a closely comparable example in Bronzes: Sculptors & Founders, 1800–1930, Vol. II (Chicago: Abage, 1981), p. 459, fig. 1809. The fullest modern reference for Barbedienne’s editions of Houdon’s model appears in Florence Rionnet’s catalogue raisonné Les bronzes Barbedienne: l’œuvre d’une dynastie de fondeurs (Paris: Arthena, 2016).
Provenance: Private Collection, California
Condition: Very good overall condition with no damage or repair. Retains original gilt gold patina with minor losses.
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