catalog text
PAIR OF LOUIS XVI STYLE FOUR-LIGHT GILT AND PATINATED CANDELABRA OF YOUNG BACCHANTESSE & SATYR
After the models by Claude Michel, known as Clodion | France, circa 1870
Item # 403SAY11Z
A finely cast pair with brilliant gilding and great contrast against the patinated figures, this pair of four-light candelabra feature a young Bacchantesse (female follower of Bacchus) looking across at the equally young Satyr. Both hold the branches covered with chaotic foliage that raise candle-wells in their arms. They are raised on fluted columnar plinths with a garland of flowers draped from either side over a ring of layered oak leaves over a squared base with inverted corners.
Both figures are based on the model of Claude Michel (known as Clodion) presented in marble at the Paris Salon of 1773 as "Satyre enfant courant avec un hibou". The terracotta for this sculpture is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. A photo enclosed with the images depicts the pair circa 1775 held in the collection of the Louvre in Paris (acc. no. OA 5207). Interestingly, the sculptor Louis-Félix de la Rue (French, 1731–1777) modeled a nearly identical satyr figure carrying an urn from which rise the two branches of the candelabra in the permanent holdings of the Wallace Collection in London also dated to 1775 (acc. no. F158). Clodion's terracotta examples of "The Nest Robbers" held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston as part of the Strauss Collection are an adaptation he made on his 1773 exhibited example, the mischevious young boy figure running off with an owl under his arm while the young satyr girl clasps an owl nest with chicks. Other terracotta examples are held in the Philadelphia Museum, the Cleveland Museum and Nancy.
Measurements: 21 7/8" H x 6 1/2" D x 6 3/8" W
Condition Report:
Old gilding that has likely been refreshed at some point in the early-to-mid 20th century; some candle wax remnants in crevices; trace verdigris and oxidization in the crevices; trace wear to the patina of both figures; the female presents with a tiny casting flaw to her back over several other tiny holes that were repaired in the foundry (see tiny circles where bronze rod was used to seal the flaw); other tiny casting flaws including a very small hole in the base (see photo); several replaced screws; a fine presentation, ready to place immediately.