Pierre-Eugène-Emile Hébert
French, 1828–1893
Honoré de Balzac
1877
Many years after Balzac’s death, this imposing portrait of him was commissioned by his publisher. Hébert based the likeness of the famous writer partly on conversations with Balzac’s widow and partly, legend has it, on a Parisian cook who was said to resemble him. The relief on the base refers to a chapter in Balzac’s treatise The Physiology of Marriage (1829), which discusses the benefits of married couples sleeping in separate beds.
| Medium | Plaster with terracotta slip |
| Dimensions | 39 3/4 in. (101 cm) |
| Object Number | 2009.3 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by the Clark, 2009 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Pierre-Eugène-Emile Hébert, Honoré de Balzac, 1877, Plaster with terracotta slip. Clark Art Institute, Acquired by the Clark, 2009.3
