Ref.15160
Claude MICHEL, known as CLODION (after), Bacchante, late 19th Century

This marble sculpture of a bacchante was executed in the 19th century after a model attributed to Clodion. The sculptor Claude Michel, known as Clodion (1738-1814), was descended on his mother’s side from the Adam dynasty, a family of renowned sculptors throughout the 18th century. He learned sculpture at the model school of the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture; in 1759, upon the death of his uncle Lambert Sigisbert Adam, who probably contributed to his training, he became a student of Jean-Baptiste Pigalle. He was a resident of the Royal School of Protected Students and stayed at the French Academy in Rome. He enjoyed his Roman stay so much that he extended it for several years before returning in 1773-1774. Highly appreciated under the reign of Louis XVI, Clodion had a particular fondness for mythological subjects. Our sculpture represents a young woman walking, holding bunches of grapes in her hand. Her whole body, in a twist, forms an arc: her head is raised to her right while the top of her torso, led by her right arm, turns to her left; finally, her left leg faces the viewer, while her right leg, slightly bent, seems to hold her back on that side. She can be likened to a figure of a maenad or bacchante. Indeed, her exalted expression, flowing hair, dancing gait, and nudity just barely covered by a drape held by a strap bring her closer to this image. Furthermore, she carries bunches of grapes, a quintessential Bacchic symbol, while others have fallen at her feet; an overturned amphora perhaps symbolizes the intemperance characteristic of the Dionysian world. The sculptor paid great attention to the expression of her face, with its fine features, and to detail: the young woman notably wears bracelets on each arm that echo her strap; the amphora at her feet is adorned with a frieze of posts in low relief. In ancient mythology, bacchantes were the priestesses of Bacchus who celebrated Dionysian mysteries and festivals, or the companions of the god, who marched with his retinue. Bacchantes were considered sensual and having an unrestrained sexuality; our sculpture, with its sensuality and dancing character, echoes this reputation. This figure of a bacchante is attributed to Clodion. In fact, the sculptor executed several terracottas on this subject, including one titled Bacchante Running with Fruits in Her Tunic (circa 1780-1785, terracotta, private collection), and another Bacchante Running (between 1803 and 1804, terracotta, 38 × 15 × 18.5 cm, Paris, Cognacq-Jay Museum). Several bronze castings of this statue are known. This material particularly highlights the sensuality of the woman and all the details of the sculpture.

Ref.5703
Louis XV style pompadour mantel carved in Bois Jourdan marble

Ref.15606
BALLEROY & Co. (porcelain), Joseph Albert PONSIN (painter), Pair of Decorative Plates Adorned with Portraits of an Assyrian Man and Woman, 1876?

This Pair of Ornamental Porcelain Dishes Was Crafted by the Company Balleroy & Cie in Limoges and Decorated by Joseph Albert Ponsin, Likely in 1876 Both dishes bear the mark of the company Balleroy & Cie. In 1900, brothers Antoine and Henri Balleroy acquired a factory in Limoges. Their partnership with Léon Mandavy and Paul Grenouillet de Mavaleix four years later resulted in the formation of the company “Balleroy & Cie”. The Balleroy brothers continued the business independently from 1908 onward, and Henri Balleroy eventually assumed sole leadership in 1929, managing the enterprise until its closure in 1937. The works are signed by Joseph Albert Ponsin (1842-1899), a former actor and songwriter who became one of the most renowned stained-glass painters of the late 19th century. Awarded a bronze medal at the 1889 World Fair, Ponsin also designed a “luminous palace” made of several thousand molded glass pieces for the 1900 Paris Exhibition. His use of porcelain is highly unusual within his work. The decorations on the two dishes are complementary, both in their chromatic harmony and in the selection and poses of the figures. The male figure’s profile exudes a certain severity, despite his slightly smiling lips. His long hair is matched by a similarly full beard. He wears an earring, and his opulent tunic combines gold and green. The female figure, in contrast, stands out against a blue background. Her attire is distinctly oriental: her gown is trimmed with gold, and her long black hair is adorned with a veil, secured on each side by two serpents and a wide golden band. In front of her is a white bird with a long yellow beak, which wraps its neck around one of its wings. Beneath the artist’s signature, the inscription “1[8?]76” provides an approximate date for the creation of these works. The portrait of the man bears a resemblance to the Dish with Assyrian Design by Théodore Deck and Albert Anker, housed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Both Anker and Ponsin appear to have drawn inspiration from the same source: Sir Henry Layard’s publication, The Monuments of Nineveh from Drawings Made on the Spot Illustrated in 100 Plates (London, 1849). In Ponsin’s work, the male figure’s profile closely mirrors those in Layard’s book, though he took greater liberties than Anker in his interpretation of the character’s headdress.