Bust of Louise Brongniart after Houdon

Bust of Louise Brongniart in white Carrara marble. 19th century French school after Jean-Antoine Houdon. Daughter of the famous architect Alexandre-Theodore Brongniart (1739-1813), famous for the construction of the Paris Stock Exchange (Palais Brongniart). Houdon paired the busts of Louise Brongniart (5 years old) and her brother Alexandre Brongniart (7 years old). These two terracotta portraits were presented at the Salon of 1777. They enjoyed great popularity, had multiple versions of marble and bronze, and were reproduced in Sèvres biscuit and terracotta. They remained in the Brongniart family until they were acquired by the Louvre in 1898 for Louise, in 1900 for Alexandre. Our bust is a piece acquired before 1910.

Ref. : ATFTBBTB