Object Description
A Pair of Gilt-Bronze and Rouge Marble Two-Branch Candelabra in the Manner of Clodion.
French, Circa 1880.
Modelled as a cherub and infant fawn holding foliate cast branches terminating in beaded drip pans, above a fluted columnar plinth base with laurel leaves.
The enfant figures derive from celebrated models executed by Clodion in the 1770s. Such models were extremely fashionable in the 19th century, particularly with English collectors in the 1820s and 1830s and enjoyed continued popularity throughout the century. Related candelabra can be found in the Musée du Louvre, Paris and in the Wallace Collection, London.
The son-in-law of sculptor Augustin Pajou, Clodion (Claude Michael), (1738-1814), trained in Paris in the workshops of his uncle and Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, the most successful sculptor of the time. After winning the Prix de Rome, he moved to Italy, sharing a studio with Jean-Antoine Houdon and studying antique, Renaissance, and Baroque sculpture.
In 1771 Clodion returned to Paris, where he continued to sculpt mostly in terracotta. Influenced by themes from pagan antiquity, he created light-hearted terracotta sculptures that epitomized the Rococo style. He worked on numerous public monuments in Paris later in his life, often in the neoclassical style and his work is represented in museums throughout the world.