Other work by the same author see under item No. 3082.

Large bronze figure executed in 19th century after terracotta model by Claude Michel (1738 - 1814), known as Clodion, famous French sculptor of the Rococo style. He was born in Nancy. Here and probably in Lille he spent the more earlier years of his life. In 1755 he came to Paris and entered the workshop of Lambert Sigisbert Adam, his maternal uncle, a clever sculptor. He remained four years in this workshop, and on the death of his uncle became a pupil of J.B. Pigalle. In 1759 he obtained the grand prize for sculpture at the Academic Royale; in 1761 he obtained the first silver medal for studies from models; and in 1762 he went to Rome. Here his activity was considerable between 1767 and 1771. Catherine II which eager to secure his presence in St Petersburg, but he returned to Paris. Among his patron, which were very numerous, were the of chapter of Rouen, the states of Languedoc, and the Direction of generale. His works were frequently exhibited at the Salon. In 1782 he married Catherine Flore,a daughter of the sculptor Augustin Pajou, who subsequently obtained a divorce from him. The agitation caused by the revolution drove Clodion in 1792 to Nancy, where he remained until 1798, his energies being spent in the decoration of of houses. Among Clodion´ s works acres A statue of Montesquieu, A Dying Cleopatra, and A chimneypiece present in the South Kensington museum. One of his last groups represented Homer as a beggar being driven away by fishermen (1810). Clodion died in Paris, on the eve of the invasion of Paris by the forces of the Sixth Coalition. Among the public collections holding works by Claude Michel are theArt institute of Chicago, the Bowes museum (County Durham, UK), the Carnegie museum of art (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), the Cleveland museum of Art , the Courtauld Institute of Art (London), the Currier museum of Art (New Hampshire), the Detroit institute of Art, the Fine Art museum in San Francisco, the Frick Collection (New York city center), the Getty museum (Los Angeles), the Honolulu Academy of art , the Kimbell art museum (Fort Worth, Texas), art Indeks Danmark, the Louvre, the Metropolitan museum of Art, Musée Cognacq Jay (Paris), the museum of Fine Art, Boston, Musée Beaux Arts (Bordeaux), national museum of art (Cluj Napoca), the National Gallery of Armenia, the National Gallery of art (Washington D.C.), the Norton Simon museum (Pasadena, California) and the Philadelphia museum of art.

Literature: Thieme/Becker 1999;Benezit ,1999; Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition.

Inscription: signed and numbered on the base.

Technique: bronze, green-brown patina.

Measurements: h. 21 1/4 " ( 54 cm )

Condition: in very good condition.