Cressant was one of the most significant sculptors from the 18th century. He was probably born in Abbeville in France, but spent most of his life in the Netherlands. This bust of a young boy is his earliest work from Utrecht. The inscription on the pedestal shows that his name is Carolus Richard and he is eight years old. The boy was descendant of a wealthy Utrecht family, who later became a physician. The small bust was owned in 1857 by Utrecht architect, painter and biographer Christiaan Kramm. Portrait busts of younger children a rare. The fact that this one is made of plaster makes it even more unique.