molded with curly wig and gazing to his right, clad in lace cravat with waistcoat and topcoat, signed houdon below right shoulder, red wax cachet d'atelier below left shoulder, on integral circular socle. Traces of polychromy. 

RELATED LITERATURE

L. Reau, Houdon, Sa vie et son oeuvre, Paris, 1964, parts I and II, pp. 360-363, paꦡ🃏rts III and IV, p. 41, no. 184, pls. LXXXIX, XC, XCI.

H. H. Arnason, The Sculptures of Houdon, London, 1🐻975, pp. 84-85, figs. 107-108, pls. 4♛8-49.

A. Poulet, G. Scherf, et. al., Jean-Antoine Houdon, Sculptor of the Englightenment, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2003💮, pp. 167-168.

General surface wear/abrasions. Minor chips. Old restorations include: areas of his overcoat around the front of the collar and down the edges; restoration to his nose; restored break to front of socle and smaller one on reverse; restoration to his back area. Stable condition. Wonderful detail.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

There are three recorded variants of the present portrait: undraped á l'antique, draped á l'antique, and clad in contemporary dress and wearing a perruque (the latter illustrated in the present lot).  This contemporary dress may have been inspired by the portrait of Rousseau in pastel by Maurice Quentin de la Tour exhibited at the Salon ꦇin 1753, although the realistic features and lively expression are Houdon's own creati✅on. 

The model is based upon the death-mask of the philosopher for which Jean-Antoine Houdon was comissioned on the day following Rousseau's sudden death in July of 1778.   He was the natural choice to capture the philosopher's likeness as he had already completed successful portrait busts of Diderot and Voltaire.  It was this death-mask upon which the terracotta bust of Rousseau, exhibited at the Salon of 1779, was based. Despite some literary disagreement, Poulet notes that the present model in contemporary dress was most probably the one exhibited at the Salon (Poulet and Scherf, op.cit., p 168).