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Terracotta sculpture representing the bust of Maximilien de Robespierre* in a frock coat and jabot shirt, after the work of the sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon**, from the 19th century.
This bust is in good condition, superb quality.
Please note: some chips on the front of the garment (see red arrows), some dirt and wear from time, see photos.
, or Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794), was a French lawyer and politician who died by guillotine on July 28, 1794, in Paris, at Place de la Révolution (now Place de la Concorde). He was one of the main figures of the French Revolution and remains one of the most controversial figures of the period.
Elected as a deputy of the Third Estate to the Estates General of 1789, he soon became one of the leading figures of the "democrats" in the National Constituent Assembly, defending the abolition of the death penalty and slavery, the right to vote for people of color, Jews, and actors, as well as universal (male) suffrage and equal rights against property-based suffrage. His intransigence soon earned him the nickname "the Incorruptible." On July 27, 1793, he joined the Committee of Public Safety, where he participated in the establishment of a revolutionary government and the Terror. Declared an outlaw by the Convention during the Commune, he was wounded, arrested, and then guillotined with 21 of his supporters.
is a French sculptor. He is one of the most important statuary artists of the 18th century. Renowned for the realistic rendering of his works, skilled not only in marble work, Houdon also had a talent and aptitude for shaping clay, plaster, and bronze. He is often called "the sculptor of the Enlightenment." He was approved by the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1769, where he was received on July 26, 1777. He exhibited at the Salon from 1771 until 1814.
