Bust of a Woman
After a model by Jean Antoine Houdon French
Not on view
This bust is a reduced-scale version of Houdon's Head of a Woman, also on view in this exhibtion. The inscription on its base commemorates the first abolition of slavery in the French colonies in 1794. The purchase of such reproductions from the artist’s workshop enabled patriots to signal their alignment with the abolitionist cause in the new French Republic. The sculpture’s theme, inscription, and commercial reproduction served as precedents for Carpeaux’s Why Born Enslaved!
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.