Pair of bronze and marble candelabra candlesticks signed by Clodion, 19th century

Superb pair of patinated and gilded bronze candelabras on marble bases, 19th century
Carrara marble base resting on four chiseled bronze spinning top feet with rows of pearls
The perimeter of the base is decorated with an interlacing of oak leaves, topped with a row of pearls
Putti on the base representing the allegory of wine, with hair surrounded by vine leaves and bunches of grapes
The putti holds a torch decorated with vine shoots and grapes in his hand
The sockets are fluted and the bobeches are surrounded by rows of pearls
One putti has a tambourine behind him and the other a wineskin at his feet
They are both signed Clodion on the base
Superb, finely chiseled pieces
19th century candelabras that probably framed a clock
H: 40.8 cm
W: 27.2 cm
D of base: 14.5 cm
H of base: 7.1 cm
Clodion:
Claude Michel, known as Clodion, was a sculptor born on December 20, 1738, in Nancy, and died on March 29, 1814, in Paris.

He was the son of Thomas Michel and Anne Adam, and thus belonged to the Adam dynasty of sculptors, along with his brothers Sigisbert François (1728-1811) and Pierre Joseph Michel (1737-1787). He was quickly called "Claudion," "Clodion," meaning "little Claude," to differentiate him from an older brother. From 1756, he was a student at the School of Models at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Then, in 1759, he joined Jean-Baptiste Pigalle as a student. On September 1, 1759, he won first prize in sculpture with a bas-relief depicting Absalom, before becoming a boarder at the Royal School for Protected Students from December 1759.
On August 6, 1762, he received his diploma for the French Academy in Rome. A brilliant modeler, he created small terracotta sculptures there that delighted connoisseurs. One of his first masterpieces was the Minerva (1766), which refers to the antique Minerva in the Giustiniani collection.
This stay provided an environment conducive to the blossoming of an artistic and literary culture to which his uncle Lambert Sigisbert Adam had introduced him. Clodion distinguished himself by his charm and elegance, both as a modeler and as a marble sculptor. In 1766, he received a commission for a marble group for the Duc de la Rochefoucauld, and in 1768 for a Vestal Virgin Mary for Catherine II of Russia. He decided to extend his stay in Rome beyond the prescribed three years and did not leave Rome until March 1771.
In 1773, he exhibited a selection of works at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, thus obtaining the agrégation (award). From August 1773, he exhibited plaster models at the Salon. Between 1773 and 1774, he traveled to Rome for the second time, where he created delicate terracotta bas-reliefs. He took the opportunity to recover blocks of marble for his commissions for the rood screen of Rouen Cathedral and for the gallery of the Hôtel de l'Abbé Terray. His career gained momentum after the accession of Louis XVI in 1774. Indeed, Clodion established himself in the world of wealthy amateurs building private mansions in the new Parisian districts. He executed important bas-reliefs for the architect Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, including the Triumph of Galatea for Jacques-Louis-Guillaume Bouret de Vézelay.
In 1782, he executed two stucco friezes for the courtyard of the Hôtel de Bourbon-Condé, as well as a decoration for the bathroom of the Hôtel de Besenval, in a completely different style. Indeed, the thunderstone apparatus highlights a procession of undressed deities. In 1778, he received his first royal commission for a portrait of Montesquieu seated, part of the series of "Great Men of France" intended to adorn the Grande Galerie of the Louvre. Producing a series of light and virtuoso works until the Revolution, his clientele was such that he no longer needed to exhibit at the Salon until 1801. With the advent of the Revolution, he kept a low profile. From 1795, his career took off again and, during the Empire, he continued to produce brilliant terracottas, alongside prestigious, sometimes monumental, commissions.

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