Satyress and Child
Born in Nancy to a family of artists, Clodion was one of the leading French sculptors of the ancien régime and Napoleonic era. He went to Paris to study sculpture in 1755 and worked in Rome from 1767 to 1771. Although inspired by the art of classical antiquity, as seen in the mythological subject of this terracotta relief, Clodion continued to model forms with a softness and delicacy reflective of his training during the Rococo period.
Details
- Palette
-
Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- terracotta
- Dimensions
- diameter: height 0.307 m
- Origin
- France, early 19th Century
- Department
- Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph King
Art Genome Taxonomy
11 tags
Subject Matter
-
Classical Mythology Both · 95%
The catalog describes the subject as mythological and the title identifies a satyress; the image presents an idealized, non-everyday adult-and-child group.
-
Human Figure Visual · 99%
A nude adult human figure is the dominant form in the center of the relief.
-
Nude Visual · 99%
The adult figure’s torso, legs, and arms are visibly uncovered.
-
Childhood Visual · 98%
A small child is clearly represented across the adult figure’s lap, with one hand raised.
-
Flora Visual · 99%
Vines, leaves, and multiple grape clusters are prominent along the right side and across the lower portion of the relief.
Medium and Techniques
-
Sculpture Both · 99%
The catalog classifies the work as sculpture, and the image clearly shows modeled human figures and vegetation in raised relief.
-
Relief Both · 99%
The catalog identifies the object as a terracotta relief, and the image shows shallow-to-projecting forms attached to a circular ground rather than a freestanding sculpture.
-
Tondo Both · 99%
The image shows a circular medallion format, consistent with the catalog’s diameter measurement.
Time Periods
-
19th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated 1803, placing it in the nineteenth century.
Geographic Regions
-
French Art Metadata · 99%
The catalog identifies the artist as French and gives France as the place of origin.
Materials
-
Terracotta Metadata · 99%
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalog specifies terracotta as the medium.
Source & rights
Clodion (French, 1738–1814). Satyress and Child. Cleveland Museum of Art.