Le Triomphe De Bacchus, 19th Century French Terra Cotta Sculpture After Clodion

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Entitled Le Triomphe de Bacchus (The Triumph of Bacchus), this terra cotta sculpture from the 1800s is based on a … Read more Entitled Le Triomphe de Bacchus (The Triumph of Bacchus), this terra cotta sculpture from the 1800s is based on a model by Claude Michel, also known as Clodion (see signature on the ground). The grouping depicts Bacchus and Ariadne, side by side, with a lion pelt holding a pan flute and loose fabric draped over their bodies. Ariadne is reaching towards a putto with a crown of grape leaves who is sitting on Bacchus’s shoulders, as the small child holds one of his hands above Ariadne’s head. A second putto, wearing a belt of grape leaves, is beside Ariadne, holding a tambourine over his head as the quartet walks barefoot across the rocky terrain on top of the oval plinth that is encircled by a molding of banded fasces.

Born Claude Michel in Nancy, France, in 1738, the sculptor known as Clodion came from a family of artists. Three of Clodion’s maternal uncles were well-known French artists: Lambert-Sigisbert, Francois Gaspard, and Nicolas-Sébastien Adam. At the age of 17, Clodion began working for Lamber-Sigisbert, later becoming a pupil of Jean-Baptiste Pigalle. Although Clodin is known for marble, bronze, and terracotta statues in the Rococo style, many of his works had Neoclassical subjects, such as Cleopatra, satyrs, and, of course, Bacchus. Clodion often exhibited at the Salon during the late 18th century, while many of his works today can be found in museums around the world. See less