Attributed to Claude Michel "Clodion"

Attributed to CLAUDE MICHEL CLODION (Nancy, 1738 – Paris, 1814).
“Daughters of Clodion.”
Patinated bronze and rouge griotte marble.
Measurements: 41 x 24 x 20 cm (x2); 18.5 x 17 x 17 cm (bases, x2).
These two sculptures of children, attributed to Claude Michel, known as Clodion, evoke the sensibility of one of the great French sculptors of the 18th century, celebrated for his ability to combine the elegance of Classicism with the grace, liveliness, and ornamental refinement of the Rococo style. The busts depict two girls with serene expressions and carefully modeled features. The difference between their headdresses—one crafted from a complex composition of folds and embellishments, and the other gathered into a bun that reveals her curls—accentuates the individuality of each figure and lends the pair a sense of being a duo conceived for visual dialogue.
Childhood was one of the favorite themes of 18th-century European sculpture, at a time when the depiction of children was gaining increasing autonomy from traditional allegorical and mythological models. Alongside the famous putti and classically inspired child figures, a renewed interest developed in the portraiture of children, seen as a vehicle for a new domestic sensibility. In this context, Clodion’s work is particularly significant.
Clodion’s interest in depicting children is evident in several works held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, such as *Girl with Doves* (c. 1780), which stands out for the delicacy of its modeling and the refinement of its drapery. Also noteworthy are his terracotta reliefs, conceived around 1781 as models for the decoration of the courtyard of the Hôtel de Bourbon-Condé in Paris, featuring scenes of children playing with animals
Claude Michel, known as Clodion, trained in Paris under the sculptors Lambert-Sigisbert Adam and Jean-Baptiste Pigalle. In 1759, he won first prize in sculpture from the Académie royale, which enabled him to move to Rome, where he resided from 1762 to 1771 and deepened his study of classical antiquity. His style combines classical elegance with the grace and sensuality of the Rococo, and he is particularly noted for his mythological figures and groups in terracotta. Highly regarded among aristocrats and collectors, his work is featured in institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Louvre. His career stands as a benchmark for 18th-century French sculpture, bridging the Rococo and Neoclassical periods.