"Child's head". France, 18th century

"Child's head". France, 18th century.
In white marble.
Measurements: 34 cm (height).

This "Child's head" conveys a mixture of classical idealization and naturalistic tenderness, a characteristic feature of French sculpture of the late 18th century.

The infant's face is rounded and full of vitality, with fluffy cheeks and an expression of candor or slight distraction, almost gawking. The half-open lips suggest soft breathing or an uncontrived innocence, while the small, well-modeled ears and short, proportionate nose evidence the sculptor's attention to anatomical detail. The kinky hair, treated with elegance and fluidity, falls over the forehead in a graceful curl that subtly breaks the serenity of the whole.

The neoclassical style is perceptible in several aspects: the use of polished white marble, which refers directly to Greco-Roman statuary; the search for formal purity and balance; the subtle idealization of the face, which transcends the particular portrait to approach a universal model of childlike beauty.

During the 18th century, French neoclassicism, represented by sculptors such as Jean-Antoine Houdon or Jean-Baptiste Pigalle in its late stage, explored the representation of the human being with a serene and rational clarity, but also with an intimate sensitivity. This child's head is in that line: it unites the classical canon of serenity and proportion with the Enlightenment sentiment of innocence as a symbol of natural purity.