Statuette of Voltaire

What it is

This is a small ceramic statuette made in white glaze, showing a standing man dressed in 18th-century fashion: a three-cornered hat, a long curled wig, and a coat over a waistcoat with a ruffled jabot. He holds a small book and stands on a rectangular base. The figure represents Voltaire. It is held by the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Germany.

Why it matters

Statuettes like this were often made and sold after a famous person's lifetime, showing how admired thinkers and writers could become popular figures whose images were reproduced in household objects. The book in his hand points to Voltaire's fame as a writer and thinker.

Look closer

• Why might the sculptor have chosen to show Voltaire holding a book rather than any other object?
• What does the clothing tell you about the period when Voltaire lived?
• Why do you think later generations made and kept objects like this one?