Portrait Bust of Claudine Houdon

Claudine Houdon, born in 1788, was the third and youngest of Houdon's daughters. The baby's face is carved with acute precision, and the wide-eyed appeal of the child reflects the 18th-century interest in childhood. Whether working in marble, bronze, or plaster, Houdon knew how to treat eyes in order to introduce life. He plays, in very low relief, on light and shadow and creates a very realistic effect.