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GUERNSEY HALL PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY,

Feb. 18/17

My dear Mr. Hart: Writing to you about Houdon is much like carrying coals to Newcastle. Perhaps may coals won't burn. When asked to describe the s.c. La Clairon bust for Art in American I knew little or nothing about Houdon and undertook the task for the sake of acquitting information. I am grateful for having had the occasion to read your delightful book. My little study led me to believe that the bust could not represent La Clairon and I was almost led to the belief that it was not by Houdon. That it is certainly not a replica of the Lemeyne La Clairon in the Academie Francaise would be evident to a child if the two busts should be placed side by side and yet this assertion was made by various written in La Cousin Paus, Figaro, etc. I came to feel that the Cayla bust was authentic, not alone because of its pedigree, but because of its quality and characteristic. I am not so sure of the s.c. La Clairon and might have been led to reject it were it not analogous is many way to Houdon's other works. Possibly the analogies are not close enough. I confess that I am not sufficiently acquainted with the work of Houdon's contemporaries to attribute the bust to one of them. Recently some one told me that Baron Adolphe von Rothschild was not above having busts made to order and sold as authentic, but I have no means of verifying this assertion. So the La Clairon remains for me as a Houdon, or at best a "near Houdon", quite charming, in spite of inferiorities of execution. Possibly as assistant executed the bust and Houdon let it go with few finishing touches. However that may be all you ask for is my opinion concerning Houdon's signatures. So