Young Satyress Running with an Owl's Nest

Description

These works by French sculptor Claude Michel, known as Clodion (1738–1814), shows a pair of young satyrs. Clodion was fond of depicting characters from classical antiquity in his work, and the subject of child or baby satyrs in Bacchanalian celebrations appear often in the work of Rococo artists. The female satyr wraps a plump arm around a nest filled with baby birds, while her male counterpart holds an owl. Balancing on one foot, the two flee the scene of their theft.

Provenance

Private collection, France; Arnold Seligman and Rey and Co. (Paris, France).; French and Co., New York, New York, sold to Mrs. Francis F. Prentiss (-1929); Elisabeth Severance Prentiss [Mrs. Francis Fleury Prentiss] (1865–1944), Cleveland Heights, Ohio), upon her death, held in trust by the estate. (1929-1944); Estate of Elizabeth Severance Prentiss, by bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1944); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1944-)

Young Satyress Running with an Owl's Nest

Clodion

1770s

Accession Number

1944.129.1

Medium

terracotta

Dimensions

Overall: 32.1 x 14.8 x 18.1 cm (12 5/8 x 5 13/16 x 7 1/8 in.); with base: 45.1 cm (17 3/4 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Collection