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拍品专文
'CLODION: ‘LE FRAGONARD DE LA TERRE CUITE’'
’L’esprit, le charme, l’élégance des formes modernes, la verve, un certain entrain voluptueux, en un mot, tout ce qu’on trouve dans cette société charmante (parisienne) qui touchait à sa dernière heure, ne sont-ce point là les traits distinctifs du talent du Clodion, le Fragonard de la terre cuite?’
So wrote Villars in in his ‘Notes sur Clodion statuaire’ in the Revue Universelles des Arts, vol, XV, 1862 (G. Scherf, ‘Clodion, ‘Le Fragonard de la terre cuite,’ Dossier de l’art, no. 7, April-May 1992, p. 6). Indeed the intense connections between Clodion’s Rothschild clock model and Fragonard’s paintings are undeniable. Fragonard’s Fontaine de l’amour was painted in circa 1785 and it is hard to imagine it did not serve as a direct model for Clodion’s present composition (inv. 99.PA.30, Getty Center, Los Angeles). For most of the second half of the 18th century, Fragonard’s paintings were sensationally popular. Not only was Fragonard one of the most celebrated painters of the Ancien Régime, but his influence extended to the decorative arts as well, and can be seen translated into bronzes and marbles, porcelain, gilt-bronze furniture mounts and of course, the carved and painted interior architecture of the period. Yet the medium of terracotta, with its fluidity and freshness, is perhaps the closest one can come to bringing Fragonard’s delicious figures into the third dimension.
And while this model by Clodion is delightfully original, it relates to other Clodion’s models, both in the actual modeling and in spirit. In particular, the two lovers of the present Rothschild Clodion relate closely to Clodion’s Bacchante courant in the Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris (inv. J 203), among others of this type. The putti on the present lot also relate to many of Clodion’s most charming and humorous groups of putti, but here their cascading chaos perhaps relate most closely to Clodion’s model for the montgolfière, or hot air balloon of the physicians Charles and Robert Montgolfier, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. 44.21a, b).
Clodion may have made at least three terracotta models representing the ‘Fountain of Love’ as illustrated by Scherf’s and Poulet’s listing of the early 19th century Paris auctions (Clodion: 1734-1814, Musée du Louvre, 17 March–29 June, 1992, p. 436). It is possible a single model of the Fontaine d’amour was sold three times – but described differently each time – and it is also possible these were three separate models. One of these was probably the much-simplified ‘fountain of love’ that was offered at both Christie’s, London, 6 December 2016, lot 76 and Christie’s, Paris, 13 June 2017, lot 51. This lot was described as with the ‘almost certain’ provenance of the Grand Pré sale, 16 February 1809, lot 175; the subsequent anonymous sale [Payet], Paris, 9 December 1811, lot 128; and finally the Walville sale, 23 October 1820, lot 155. It is more likely, however that this much simpler version was offered either in the Grand Pré and/or Walville sales. Since the present Rothschild ‘Fountain of Love’ is by far the most complex and impressive example known of these models, it most likely corresponds to the extensive description of the 1811 Payet sale which also specifically mentions the Fragonard connection: ‘Précieux groupe en terre cuite, execute par Claudion [sic] sur la pensée de Fragonard, offrant le sujet de la Fontaine d’Amour. Morceau du goût le plus exquis et plein de grâce dans les caractères. Ce charmant modèle dans les mains de nos habiles ciseleurs, présenteroit une pendule d’un genre neuf, qui obtiendroit un grand succès.’ This was acquired by Coquille at the sale for 270F.
Interestingly, this model must have been known during the 19th century as a bronze version that appears to be identical to the Rothschild terracotta was sold Christie’s, South Kensington, 31 March 1993, lot 5. This is not to be confused with another 19th century version of this clock produced by Barbedienne and cited by Scherf and Poulet (op. cit., p. 432).
’L’esprit, le charme, l’élégance des formes modernes, la verve, un certain entrain voluptueux, en un mot, tout ce qu’on trouve dans cette société charmante (parisienne) qui touchait à sa dernière heure, ne sont-ce point là les traits distinctifs du talent du Clodion, le Fragonard de la terre cuite?’
So wrote Villars in in his ‘Notes sur Clodion statuaire’ in the Revue Universelles des Arts, vol, XV, 1862 (G. Scherf, ‘Clodion, ‘Le Fragonard de la terre cuite,’ Dossier de l’art, no. 7, April-May 1992, p. 6). Indeed the intense connections between Clodion’s Rothschild clock model and Fragonard’s paintings are undeniable. Fragonard’s Fontaine de l’amour was painted in circa 1785 and it is hard to imagine it did not serve as a direct model for Clodion’s present composition (inv. 99.PA.30, Getty Center, Los Angeles). For most of the second half of the 18th century, Fragonard’s paintings were sensationally popular. Not only was Fragonard one of the most celebrated painters of the Ancien Régime, but his influence extended to the decorative arts as well, and can be seen translated into bronzes and marbles, porcelain, gilt-bronze furniture mounts and of course, the carved and painted interior architecture of the period. Yet the medium of terracotta, with its fluidity and freshness, is perhaps the closest one can come to bringing Fragonard’s delicious figures into the third dimension.
And while this model by Clodion is delightfully original, it relates to other Clodion’s models, both in the actual modeling and in spirit. In particular, the two lovers of the present Rothschild Clodion relate closely to Clodion’s Bacchante courant in the Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris (inv. J 203), among others of this type. The putti on the present lot also relate to many of Clodion’s most charming and humorous groups of putti, but here their cascading chaos perhaps relate most closely to Clodion’s model for the montgolfière, or hot air balloon of the physicians Charles and Robert Montgolfier, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. 44.21a, b).
Clodion may have made at least three terracotta models representing the ‘Fountain of Love’ as illustrated by Scherf’s and Poulet’s listing of the early 19th century Paris auctions (Clodion: 1734-1814, Musée du Louvre, 17 March–29 June, 1992, p. 436). It is possible a single model of the Fontaine d’amour was sold three times – but described differently each time – and it is also possible these were three separate models. One of these was probably the much-simplified ‘fountain of love’ that was offered at both Christie’s, London, 6 December 2016, lot 76 and Christie’s, Paris, 13 June 2017, lot 51. This lot was described as with the ‘almost certain’ provenance of the Grand Pré sale, 16 February 1809, lot 175; the subsequent anonymous sale [Payet], Paris, 9 December 1811, lot 128; and finally the Walville sale, 23 October 1820, lot 155. It is more likely, however that this much simpler version was offered either in the Grand Pré and/or Walville sales. Since the present Rothschild ‘Fountain of Love’ is by far the most complex and impressive example known of these models, it most likely corresponds to the extensive description of the 1811 Payet sale which also specifically mentions the Fragonard connection: ‘Précieux groupe en terre cuite, execute par Claudion [sic] sur la pensée de Fragonard, offrant le sujet de la Fontaine d’Amour. Morceau du goût le plus exquis et plein de grâce dans les caractères. Ce charmant modèle dans les mains de nos habiles ciseleurs, présenteroit une pendule d’un genre neuf, qui obtiendroit un grand succès.’ This was acquired by Coquille at the sale for 270F.
Interestingly, this model must have been known during the 19th century as a bronze version that appears to be identical to the Rothschild terracotta was sold Christie’s, South Kensington, 31 March 1993, lot 5. This is not to be confused with another 19th century version of this clock produced by Barbedienne and cited by Scherf and Poulet (op. cit., p. 432).