Artwork Page for Portrait of Christoph Willibald Gluck

Details / Information for Portrait of Christoph Willibald Gluck

Portrait of Christoph Willibald Gluck

c. 1775

Jean-Antoine Houdon

(French, 1741–1828)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
terracotta
Measurements
Overall: 49.5 x 40 x 28.5 cm (19 1/2 x 15 3/4 x 11 1/4 in.); with base: 64 x 39.3 x 28.1 cm (25 3/16 x 15 1/2 x 11 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1988.59
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

A well-known composer of the 1700s, Gluck reformed opera by bringing unprecedented simplicity and sincerity to his music and staging, qualities shared by Houdon’s bust. This portrait, by depicting Gluck’s pockmarked face, was perceived as a natural and truthful representation. Yet, he would never have appeared publicly with unkempt hair and an open collar, which constituted the standard for representing an artist.

Portrait of Christoph Willibald Gluck

c. 1775

Jean-Antoine Houdon

(French, 1741–1828)
France, 18th century

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