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Lot 55

Jean Antoine Houdon (French, 1741 - 1828): A pair of late 18th / early 19th century patinated bronze miniature busts of 'Le Baiser Donne (The Kiss Given)' and 'Le Baiser Rendu (The Kiss Returned)'
possibly cast in the workshop of Pierre-Philippe Thomire (French, 1751 - 1843)

Important Design
21 November 2018, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street

£2,500 - £3,500

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Jean Antoine Houdon (French, 1741 - 1828): A pair of late 18th / early 19th century patinated bronze miniature busts of 'Le Baiser Donne (The Kiss Given)' and 'Le Baiser Rendu (The Kiss Returned)'

possibly cast in the workshop of Pierre-Philippe Thomire (French, 1751 - 1843)
raised on rope twist and beaded gilt bronze socles and similarly mounted bleu turquin cylindrical pedestals and square bases with applied plaques inscribed BECAUX and ENCORE, 27cm and 27.5cm high approximately (2)

Footnotes

Provenance:
Collection of Michael and Cecilia (Celia) Trubshawe, West Kirdford, West Sussex.
Thence by decent via their daughter Sarah Trubshawe to the present vendor, circa 1995.

Michael Trubshawe became well known as a somewhat colourful character, by virtue of his close friendship with the actor David Niven dating back to the late 1930's and was much featured in the latter's biographical narrative entitled "The Moon's a Balloon" as well as from an acting career in films, radio and television including the ABC TV series 'The Avengers'.

The first version of Houdon's famous composition 'Le Baiser Donne' was exhibited in 1771 with a number of versions created on a larger scale between 1774 and 1780. The success and popularity of this sensual subject led to the creation of a pendant model 'Le Baiser Rendu' and the subsequent production of smaller versions of the pair in bronze, many of which were almost certainly made in the workshop of Houdon's former pupil Pierre-Philippe Thomire who by that time had become a well respected specialist bronzier.

A comparable pair of busts attributed to Thomire are in now the permanent collection of the Wallace Collection.

The present pair of bronze bust on their titled marble pedestals share similarities with the Wallace busts and may also therefore have been cast in Thomiere's workshop.

Additional information

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