Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00010797Young Satyr Running with an Owl
by Clodion
Also known as: The Bird's Nester; One of a Pair of Statuettes Representing Youthful Fauns
About the Artwork
These works by French sculptor Claude Michel, known as Clodion (1738–1814), shows a pair of young satyrs. Clodion was fond of depicting characters from classical antiquity in his work, and the subject of child or baby satyrs in Bacchanalian celebrations appear often in the work of Rococo artists. The female satyr wraps a plump arm around a nest filled with baby birds, while her male counterpart holds an owl. Balancing on one foot, the two flee the scene of their theft.
Inscriptions
signature incised on back: CLODION.
Provenance
Private collection, France Arnold Seligman and Rey and Co., Paris, France -1929: French and Co., New York, New York, sold to Mrs. Francis F. Prentiss 1929-1944: Elisabeth Severance Prentiss [Mrs. Francis Fleury Prentiss] (1865–1944), Cleveland Heights, Ohio), upon her death, held in trust by the estate. 1944: Estate of Elizabeth Severance Prentiss, by bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1944-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Clodion. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France (March 17-June 29, 1992).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Clodion (French, 1738–1814)
- Date
- 1770s
- Medium
- terracotta
- Dimensions
- Overall: 32 x 15.2 x 16.4 cm (12 5/8 x 6 x 6 7/16 in.); with base: 45.1 cm (17 3/4 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Collection
- Accession no.
- 1944.129.2
More by Clodion in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00010797
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