Voltaire Bust: The True Story Behind the Most Famous Enlightenment Portrait
Voltaire Bust: The True Story Behind the Two Most Famous Enlightenment Portraits (and Which One We Chose)
Two images dominate when people picture Voltaire:
- The grinning, toothless 84-year-old captured by Jean-Antoine Houdon in 1778
- The sharp-eyed, confident 24-year-old painted by the Atelier de Nicolas de Largillière in 1718
Both are masterpieces. Here’s the real story – and why we chose one over the other for our bust.
The Houdon Portrait (1778) – The Dramatic Old Man
In 1778, after 28 years in exile, Voltaire returned to Paris as a living legend. Houdon took life masks and created the famous seated statue (now in the Comédie-Française) with the wide, almost mischievous grin.
This is the version you see on most posters and book covers today.
The Largillière Portrait (1718) – The Young Enlightenment Firebrand
Sixty years earlier, a 24-year-old Voltaire sat for Nicolas de Largillière (or his atelier). The result – hanging in the Musée Carnavalet – is the sharp, witty, youthful face with the famous half-smile that appeared on coins, medals, and engravings throughout the 18th century.
Which Portrait Was Actually More Famous in Voltaire’s Lifetime?
While Houdon’s dramatic old-man version is instantly recognisable today, the youthful Largillière portrait was the one 18th-century Europe actually knew and reproduced while Voltaire was alive and at the height of his influence.
Why We Chose the 1718 Largillière Portrait for Our Bust
After studying both originals, we chose the Atelier de Nicolas de Largillière 1718 portrait as our master reference because it shows Voltaire at his most well-known look – energetic, witty, and dangerous. This is the image that defined the Enlightenment, not the frail old man of Houdon’s later sculpture.
Our 25.7 cm Voltaire bust is cast from this Musée Carnavalet masterpiece, available in Antique Bronze or Stone White, on an engraved charcoal base with “Voltaire 1694–1778”.
→ View the Voltaire Bust Replica
