![]() ![]() Houdon's Terracotta Bust of WashingtonĪfter Houdon prepared the cast of Washington’s face, the mold was left to dry. Immediately distressed, Nelly was rapidly comforted by those present that her grandfather was still indeed alive and well. Young Eleanor (Nelly) Parke Custis, Washington’s step-granddaughter, looking for her grandpapa, happened upon his white-clad, still form, laid out on the table like a corpse. Two large quills were placed inside each of the General’s nostrils to ensure he could breathe. Oil was generously applied to his face, so that the hardened plaster of the mask would not adhere to his skin. His hair was pulled back, covered by a towel, while a large sheet protected his clothes. ![]() In the servant’s hall adjacent to the Mansion, the General had laid down on a wooden table. Washington’s diary entry from October 10, 1785, indicates that he was fascinated by the process, and thoroughly documented the materials and method by which the plaster was prepared that day. Making the Life Maskĭesiring the most accurate likeness possible, Houdon wished to create a “life mask” of the General. Undeniably swept up into the rhythm of daily life on the estate, such immersion not only allowed the sculptor to study Washington’s facial features, but also to become acquainted with the nuanced shift in the General’s expression and mood, as well as the details of Washington’s choice of attire. Appealing to Washington’s penchant for fastidious record-keeping, they stressed that it was imperative to document his likeness for posterity.Īfter arriving at Mount Vernon on October 2, 1785, Houdon stayed for two weeks. Knowing their esteemed friend’s full calendar and impatience with matters that could be described as of little import, Jefferson and Franklin judiciously employed a little polite puffery to get the job done. The chance of Washington crossing the Atlantic to see Monsieur Houdon for the express purpose of having a bust made was preposterous. ![]() So when John Kelly read about this wartime ruse, he decided to make artworks of what he named, “Dobell’s Cows” mimicking portraits Dobell had made with these long necks and small heads on his cows.As Thomas Jefferson described, Jean-Antoine Houdon possessed the “reputation of being the finest statuary in the world.” Well versed in capturing famous faces from the King Louis XV of France to Voltaire, Houdon was “enthusiastically fond of being the executor of this work,” and needed to see the illustrious subject in person in the hopes of “forming the bust from life.” ![]() In 1943 he won the Archibald Prize with a stylised, exaggerated portrait of fellow artist Joshua Smith, with an elongated neck and small head, which at the time was quite controversial. His inspiration came from a story about how life size paper mache model cows were made during WWII and placed around airfields to disguise them as farms to Japanese aircraft! The interesting part is that several artists who were serving in the army were instructed to make the cows, including William Dobell who served as an official war artist. It is not until you find out the back story for these strange bovines that they make sense. Melbourne artist John Kelly is well known for his many cow sculptures and paintings, but they are rather intriguing because they are a boxy shape and have an elongated neck and small head. ![]()
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