Houdon’s Studio

LOUIS-LÉOPOLD BOILLY (1761-1845)
Paris, circa 1804
oil on canvas
Louis-Léopold Boilly is inviting us into the privacy of the studio of one of the greatest sculptors of the 18^th century, Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828). The artist is shown here aged around sixty, at the height of his fame.
This picture has three distinct subjects: the depiction of an artist’s studio, the portrayal of a sculptor at work and a portrait of a family. Houdon, surrounded by his works in the middle of the picture, is finishing modelling his bust of the mathematician Laplace (1749-1827), on display next to this picture.

inv. PE 63