Edouard Houssin

The 2006 monograph by Arnaud Debève (op. cit.) has illuminated Edouard Houssin as a highly accomplished and important artist, who was highly regarded during his lifetime. Owing to the tragic loss of the vast majority of Houssin's oeuvre during the wars, the present marble arguably represents Houssin's most important surviving sculpture.

Born in Douai, Houssin was a pupil of Jouffroy and Aimé Millet. From 1873 he began to exhibit at the Paris Salon, where he was awarded medals in 1887 and 1889. His commissions were largely centred around his native northern France and included a number of monuments, as well as several figures in the Douai Museum. In 1894 he was appointed professor of modelling at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, a position he held until his death in 1919.

This sensuous marble showcases the sculptor's Romantic interpretation of mythological subjects. Leaning back in ecstasy as she feels the soft feathers of the gently advancing swan behind her, Leda appears gladly receptive to Jupiter's seduction.

Regarded as the sculptor's masterpiece, the plaster model of Houssin's Léda won an award at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1887 and, thanks to its success, was executed in marble the following year. Dated 1888, the present marble appears to be the only known version. The sculptor's exceptional skill is evident in the dynamic composition and virtuoso carving of the swan and the ivy-covered pedestal.

RELATED LITERATURE

A. Debève, La Vie et l'Oeuvre du sculpteur Édouard Houssin, Paris, 2006, pp. 93-96