Description
Claude Michel, generally referred to as Clodion, is best known for his decorative terra-cotta statuettes. This work is quite representative of Clodion in both subject and style. The sculpture, which is developed upon works dating from the artist's earlier residency in Rome, represents a standing female figure carrying an abundant display of flora. The figure alludes to Greek and Roman depictions of the horae, or goddesses of the seasons, and, through the figure's floral crown and platter, can easily be attributed to the season of spring.
Provenance
possibly Eugène Tondu, Paris (possibly sold, Paris, 1865, lot no. 205) (1865); Private collection, France (sold, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, May 29, 1914, lot no. 30) (May 29, 1914); Grace Rainey Rogers, 1867-1943 (New York, New York), by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art. (-1942); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1942-)
Accession Number
1942.50
Medium
terracotta
Dimensions
Overall: 45.1 x 15.2 x 17.3 cm (17 3/4 x 6 x 6 13/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
Gift of Grace Rainey Rogers in memory of her father, William J. Rainey