George Washington
model 1785, cast 1850/1877
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
overall: 45.09 × 34.29 × 22.86 cm (17 3/4 × 13 1/2 × 9 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of the artist)
Accession Number
2015.19.3893
Art Historical Context
This bronze bust of *George Washington*, modeled in 1785 by renowned French neoclassical sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon and cast later by American artist Clark Mills between 1850 and 1877, captures the first U.S. President with striking realism. Houdon, celebrated for his lifelike portraits, created the original plaster model during a visit to Mount Vernon, using a life mask to ensure anatomical accuracy. Mills, known for his monumental public sculptures like the equestrian statue of Washington in Washington, D.C., faithfully reproduced it in bronze—a durable medium prized for its ability to con...