Portrait bust of Benjamin Franklin (Houdon - NPG), ca. 1778
Photo courtesy of National...
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Photo courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
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Paris
Jean-Antoine Houdon
Terra cotta and marble; H. 15 3/8 in. (39.0 cm)
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), 76.40
Houdon's busts of Franklin, in terra cotta, plaster or marble, are beloved by many contemporary viewers because they present a man who appears to be human rather than awe-inspiring.
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