This bust depicts the philosopher Claude Adrien Helvétius and was commissioned by the widow to the sculptor Jean-Jacques Caffiéri. According to the tradition of representative portraits, Caffiéri granted his subject the right attitude and features to reflect his importance, from the noble bearing of the head to the look that denotes self-confidence, to the large and elegant drapery. Much appreciated for his ability in psychological rendering, the portraits of Caffiéri for the Comédie-Française earned him great fame.