HOUDON (Jean-Antoine). Letter signed to "Monsieur... - Lot 5 - Osenat

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HOUDON (Jean-Antoine). Letter signed to "Monsieur... - Lot 5 - Osenat
HOUDON (Jean-Antoine). Letter signed to "Monsieur le Président" [of the Constituent Assembly, Guy-Jean-Baptiste Target]. S.l., [1790, probably February]. 1 p. The honor that the commune deigned to grant me by entrusting me to make the bust of Mr. Necker was too precious for me not to have made it my duty to hasten its execution, this duty became even more urgent when I learned that the National Assembly was going to take care of the organization of the city of Paris, and that it would not be long before a new nomination of deputies was made. I doubled my work because I believed that it was part of my recognition to complete this bust promptly so that the same deputies of the Paris Commune who had been those of the Nation by voting this striking distinction to its minister, would have the satisfaction of dedicating it before leaving places where they deserved so much from all good citizens. I have the honour, therefore... to ask you to convey my respect and appreciation to the Commune and to inform them that the bust of Mr. Necker is complete, that it is on display in the Royal Library and will be opened on the day they order it, so that Mrs. Deputies may see it, and that I shall wait for her to EMPIRE IT AT FONTAINEBLEAU 9 MONDAY 22 MARCH 2021 to fix it and bring it to the City, and expose to the eyes of our citizens this monument of the virtue of those who ordered it and the public recognition... "Jean-Antoine Houdon had sculpted a bust of banker Jacques Necker, who was a minister three times (1776-1781, 1788-1789 and 1789-1790), on a commission from the Commune. Once completed, the work was deposited at the Town Hall and presented at the 1791 Salon. This letter is quoted in the Moniteur of January 29, 1790. THE MOST FAMOUS FRENCH STATUTORY OF HIS TIME, JEAN-ANTOINE HOUDON (1741-1828) left masterpieces representing the great figures of his time: Buffon, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Condorcet, Catherine II of Russia, Washington, Franklin, La Fayette, Mirabeau, Necker, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ney...
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