Maquette du Voltaire (1694-1778) assis
Description
Cette maquette est la première version du grand modèle en marbre commandé par Marie-Louise Denis, veuve et héritière de Voltaire, donné à la Comédie-Française après la mort de ce dernier. Dans un contexte de retour au classicisme, Voltaire est représenté à la fin de sa vie en philosophe antique. Houdon retranscrit avec fidélité la physionomie du vieillard âgé de quatre-vingt-quatre ans, dont il avait pu modeler les traits quelques semaines avant son décès. Sur le socle en marbre blanc, orné de moulures en bronze doré, est gravé un quatrain du poète Ponce-Denis Écouchard-Lebrun dit Lebrun-Pindare (1729-1807) à la gloire de Voltaire.
Subject depicted
portrait (Voltaire, homme, assis, homme de lettres)
About this work
The artwork titled "Maquette du Voltaire (1694-1778) assis", attributed to Houdon Jean-Antoine (1741-1828), is preserved at musée Lambinet. This piece is listed in the Joconde database of the Ministry of Culture, which catalogues the works held in French museums.
Technique and Materials
This work belongs to the field: sculpture. It was created using the following materials and techniques: terre cuite, marbre blanc (socle). Its period of creation is identified as: 4th quarter 18th Century.
The Conserving Museum
"Maquette du Voltaire (1694-1778) assis" is preserved at musée Lambinet, an institution bearing the « Musée de France » label. This label ensures that the collections are managed rigorously in terms of conservation, inventory, and public accessibility.
Data sources
The information about this work comes from the Joconde database of the Ministry of Culture, published on data.culture.gouv.fr under the Open License v2.0 (Etalab).
About this artwork
On doit Maquette du Voltaire (1694-1778) assis à Houdon Jean-Antoine (1741-1828) ; l'oeuvre est au musée Lambinet. terre cuite, marbre blanc (socle) est le procédé utilisé pour cette oeuvre. Ses dimensions sont H. 20,4 cm, l. 9,3 cm, P. 13,7 cm (sans socle) ; H. 13,6 cm, l. 13,2 cm, P. 17,3 cm (socle) ; H. 34 cm, l. 13,2 cm, P. 17,3 cm (avec socle). On y reconnaît : portrait (Voltaire, homme, assis, homme de lettres). Cette pièce remonte à la 4e quart 18e siècle. À propos de cette pièce : Versailles, 1741 ; Paris, 1828.
Creation context
Maquette du Voltaire (1694-1778) assis est le produit de la rencontre entre le talent de Houdon Jean-Antoine (1741-1828) et les aspirations de la 4e quart 18e siècle. Abritée au musée Lambinet, cette œuvre cristallise les questionnements artistiques propres à une époque qui voit naître de nouvelles formes d'expression et de nouveaux rapports à la création.
See also
Technique
Domain
Artistic movements
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know
The work « Maquette du Voltaire (1694-1778) assis » is held at musée Lambinet, an institution labeled as a « Musée de France ». This label guarantees the quality of collection preservation and accessibility to the public.
This artwork is attributed to Houdon Jean-Antoine (1741-1828) according to the Joconde database of the Ministry of Culture. Check the artist's profile on DellArte to discover their background, other works, and museums that house their creations.
Data comes from the Joconde database of the Ministry of Culture (data.culture.gouv.fr), distributed under Open License v2.0 (Etalab). The records are provided by the museums and validated by the French Museum Service.
The work is part of the collections of a « Musée de France »-labelled museum. Contact the hosting museum to verify if the work is currently on display or held in reserve. Opening hours and admission fees are available on the museum's official website.
Image usage rights depend on the work, the artist, and the museum. If the author died more than 70 years ago, the work is in the public domain in France. Text data (title, technique, dimensions) are under Open License and freely reusable.
The work's record contains information from the Joconde database: title, author, technique and materials used, dimensions, creation period, artistic domain, inventory number, hosting museum, and when available, a digital image.
Use the DellArte contact page to report errors. Since data comes from the Joconde database, major corrections (attribution, dating, technique) should be reported to the Ministry of Culture via data.culture.gouv.fr.
The Joconde database lists over 700,000 works. Use the search bar to find works by the same artist, technique, or period. Each museum entry provides access to its entire digitized collection.
The image resolution depends on the museum's digitization program. Some museums offer high-resolution images through their own digital platforms. The image displayed on DellArte comes from the Joconde database at its dissemination resolution.
Museum shops often sell reproductions of their main works (postcards, posters, art books). For public domain works, services like RMN-Grand Palais (photo.rmn.fr) offer professional photographic reproductions.