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With Coysevox, the art of portrait sculpture reached a new level of brilliance in France; Houdon, however, has been claimed as the greatest portrait sculptor of all time.  Houdon studied sculpture in Paris, winning prizes even as a child, and at the age of twenty took the Prix de Rome.  Although he executed a few important non-portrait subjects while in Rome, from 1764 to 1768, once back in Paris he specialized in portrait busts, producing the occasional full-length portrait as well.  To prepare a marble standing figure of George Washington, Houdon traveled to the United States in 1785.  His seated portrait of Voltaire was so successful that he turned out numerous variants in different sizes, costumes, and materials.  Houdon studied his subjects by making careful measurements and casts, employing an expert understanding of anatomy and the various techniques of sculpture.  His work was much in demand among the statesmen, literary figures, and social leaders of his day.

Source: Art in The Frick Collection: Paintings, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996.

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