19th-century French school after Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828) Louise Brongniart (1772-1845) Model created in 1777 White marble bust H. 37 cm Related work : - Jean-Antoine Houdon, Louise Brongniart (1772-1845), daughter of the architect Alexandre Théodore Brongniart (1739-1813), 1777, terracotta, H.: 34.5 cm, Paris, Musée du Louvre, inv. RF 1197 ; - Jean-Antoine Houdon, Louise Brongniart, 1777, marble, H. 37.7 cm - W. 25.3 cm - D. 19.5 cm, Washington, National Gallery, inv. 1942.9.124. Related literature: Hiovardu Harbard Arnason, Jean-Antoine Houdon: le plus grand sculpteur français du XVIIIe siècle, Lausanne, Edita Denöel, 1976, model listed under no. Fig. 94. This charming bust of Louise Brongniart at the age of five, presented at the Salon of 1777 as a counterpart to that of her brother Alexandre Brongniart, is part of a body of work by Houdon on the theme of the child's face. The artist's models included his three daughters, Sabine, Anne-Ange and Claudine. Following the success of this type of portrait at the Salon, Houdon had several copies made in his studio in plaster, terracotta and marble, with variations in cut, costume and hairstyle.