# Clodion artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/clodion/
Profile generated: 2026-08-19T08:18:31.226Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1738-12-20
- Death date: 1814-03-28
- Nationality: French
- Movements: Rococo, Neoclassicism
- Common media: terracotta, marble, bronze

## Portrait

![Clodion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Clodion_statue.jpg/1280px-Clodion_statue.jpg)
Eutouring · CC BY-SA 4.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clodion_statue.jpg

## About Clodion

Clodion was the professional name of Claude Michel, a French sculptor born in Nancy in 1738 and active until his death in Paris in 1814. He is commonly associated with the Rococo tradition, while reference sources also connect his work with the Neoclassical period. Clodion is especially encountered through lively small-scale sculpture in terracotta, along with works in marble and bronze. His subjects often include satyrs, nymphs, putti, children, and other figures drawn from classical mythology or allegory. Museum and library records identify him under both Clodion and Claude Michel, an important distinction when searching collections or auction archives. Collectors may encounter his work as an individually modeled sculpture, a decorative object, or a work whose attribution and date require careful comparison with documented examples.

## Common works and media

Auction and appraisal records for Clodion most often call for close attention to sculpture and decorative objects, particularly terracotta works. Relevant examples may also be found in marble and bronze. Recurring subjects include satyrs, nymphs, putti, children, river gods, and other mythological or allegorical figures. Some objects appear as vessels or other decorative forms, while museum collections also document religious and figurative compositions. A proper comparison should distinguish an original model from a later cast, reproduction, workshop work, or uncertain attribution.

## Market and appraisal context

Clodion appraisal research should begin with genuinely comparable sculpture rather than a broad artist median. Medium, dimensions, date, subject, condition, restoration, surface quality, and attribution confidence can materially affect the result. Provenance, exhibition history, catalogue references, signatures, and inscriptions may provide additional context, while recent public auction results can help establish a comparison set. Appraisily’s records show public auction activity across several categories, but those records may omit private sales, incomplete feeds, or later attribution changes. Auction totals may also be reported with different treatment of premiums and fees, so results should be compared on a consistent basis.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2979538
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/77118360/
- IdRef: https://www.idref.fr/031218067
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500115369
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/62183
- National Gallery of Art: https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.2067.html
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Michel
- Wikipedia: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clodion_(sculpteur)
- Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Clodion
- Art UK: https://artuk.org/discover/artists/michel-clodion-claude-17381814