Houdon

Houdon, Jean Antoine (1741-1828), a celebrated French sculptor, was born at Versailles. After ten years' residence in Rome, where he produced his colossal statue of St. Bruno, he returned to France, and in 1777 was elected a member of the Academy. In 1805 he became professor in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Houdon excelled in portraiture, and his works include likenesses of Rousseau, Voltaire, Diderot, Washington, Napoleon, and many other celebrities.