Jean-Antoine Houdon, (born March 20, 1741, Versailles, France—died July 15, 1828, Paris), French sculptor whose religious and mythological works are definitive expressions of the 18th-century Rococo style of sculpture. Elements of classicism and naturalism are also evident in his work, and the vividness with which he expressed both physiognomy and character places him among history’s greatest portrait sculptors.
Houdon began sculpting at age nine and underwent the long training prescribed by the Académie Royale. In 1761 he won the
Prix de Rome, and while in Rome (1764–68) he established his reputation with a large
marble statue of St. Bruno (1767
JUSTITIA
The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to ancient Egypt and the Goddess Maat, and later Isis. The Roman Empire replaced the ancient Egyptian legal system with its own laws but adopted the image of a female goddess: Justitia has frequently been depicted as a matron carrying a sword and scales, and wearing a blindfold. Her modern iconography, which frequently adorns courthouses and courtrooms, conflates the attributes of several goddesses who embodied Right Rule for Greeks and Romans, blending Roman blindfolded Fortuna (luck) with Hellenistic Greek Tyche (fate), and sword-carrying Nemesis (vengeance).
Justitia's attributes parallel those of the Hellenic deities Themis and Dike. Themis was the embodiment of divine order, law, and custom, in her aspect as the personification of the divine rightness of law. However, the mythological connection is not a direct one.
Justitia is most often depicted with a set of scales typically suspended from her left hand, upon which she measures the strengths of a case's support and opposition. She is also often seen carrying a double-edged sword in her right hand, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party.
HEIGHT 39CM X15CMX13CM
WEIGHT 3KG
POSTAGE R75.00