a woman on the right selling winged putti from a cage while two other classically dressed women look on from the left, signed on the lower left corner: CLODION . f . (reversed N).

Loss to top half of fingers on left hand of raised putto. Very minor chipping along edge and minor wear.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

RELATED LITERATURE

Le pitture antiche d'Ercolano, vol. III, 1762, pl. 41

A. Poulet, "A Neoclassical Vase by Clodion," in The Art Institute of Chicago, Museum Studies, vo. 15, no. 2, 1989, pp. 138-153, 177-180

G. Scherf and A. Poulet, Clodion 1738-1814 (exh.ℱ cat.), Musée du Louvre, Paris ꧒1992, pp. 102-105, no. 7

This rare marble relief dates from the first Roman period (1762-1771) of the French sculptor Claude Michel, called Clodion.  Plaster and terracotta versions of the composition are mentioned several times in the inventory made at the time of the sculptor's death, and one terracotta version, illustrated by Poulet (Clodion, op.cit., p. 198, fig. 113), is in a New Y🦹o💮rk private collection.

Poulet notes (Clodion, op.cit., pp. 20-21. fig. 4) that the "Marchande" derives from a Roman wall painting discovered at Gragnano in 1759 of which an engraving was published three years later (Le Pitture, op.cit.).

The figure style, drapery and carving in remarkably low relief can be compared with the marble vase by Clodion in the Art Institute of Chicago (see Clodion, no.7, pp. 102-105). Another fine marble relief of "Sacrifice a L'Armour", signed similarly and of the same size, is in a private collection and on loan to the Hood Museum, Dartmouth (see Trinity Fine Art, New York, Old Master Drawings and European Works of Art, 194, no. 71a).

The present relief &🦂nbsp;is the only autograph marble version know🌃n.

Clodion trained in the workshop of his uncle Lambert-Sigisbert Adam and studied at the French Academy where his uncle was also a professor. The Academy sent him to Rome to further his studies in sculpture and shortly after his return he recieved his first commissions. His patrons included heads of state such as Catherine II of Russia and Louis XVI, the latter of which granted him the title Sculpteur du Roi in 1778.  Clodion's sculptures were hig💧hly popular and sought-after well beyond his death in 1814.