Louis-Simon Boizot (1743-1809) French, 1778

Galerie Patrice Bellanger, Paris, circa 1990

Overall the condition of the terracotta is very good with some minor wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. The group was covered in a light slip, the colour of the clay is visible in some of the crevices between the rose petals in the basket and the putto's wings. Some of the crevices have a layer with a rose hue. The group was possibly modelled in sections as is suggested by the excess clay between the Graces' heads and the basket. There are a few minor chips to the lower edge of the base.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This elegant model is listed as being the work of Louis-Simon Boizot and dated 1778 in Emile Bourgeois' catalogue of 18th-century Sèvres biscuits (Bourgeois, op. cit., pl. 27, no. 596). Boizot was artistic director of the sculpture ateliers of the Manufacture Royale de Sèvres from 1774 until 1800. He was one of the most important sculptors working in the Neoclassical style in 18th-century France and was famed for his classicising circular compositions, which were intentionally created for the purpose of being translated into biscuit by Sèvres. Boizot departed from the Rococo frivolities of his predecessors, instead opting for a graceful Neoclassicism; his works betray a masterful grasp of classical principles, tempered by a warm naturalism.

The exquisite quality of the present terracotta is most evident in the remarkable plasticity of the tresses of flowers. Boizot has skillfully worked the clay into rose petals of such lightness that Cupid appears almost to bounce out of them as he is carried along. The impressionistic modelling of these foliate forms is paralleled only by the impasto of Fragonard's paintings. Such excellent hand modelling indicates that the present terracotta can only be the work of Boizot himself, as opposed to being a Sèvres edition for example. This is further confirmed by the fact that it is larger than the biscuit edition listed by Bourgeois. There are also numerous small compositional differences from the Sèvres biscuit, such as the positioning of the Graces' heads and hands, whilst the figure of Cupid sits at a different angle. The highly finished surface is typical of Boizot's terracottas, which were specifically intended to be translated into biscuit (Draper and Scherf, op. cit., p. 50).

The present group is supremely well conceived. Anne Poulet and Guilhem Scherf have even suggested that Boizot's model may have inspired Clodion to create his four lifesize groups with nymphs carrying platters of fruits for l'hôtel de Botterel-Quintin, now shared between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (Poulet and Scherf, op. cit., nos. 55-56). The present model finds its closest comparisons in a number of other circular compositions created by Boizot for Sèvres. Compare, in particular, the terracotta L'Offrande à l'Amour in the Cité de la céramique, Sèvres (inv. no. MNC7969), which likewise features classically inspired women with billowing drapes and is surmounted by a figure of Cupid. Note the same highly finished surface and the impressionistic tresses of flowers.

RELATED LITERATURE
E. Bourgeois, Le Biscuit de Sèvres au XVIIIe siècle, Paris, 1909, pl. 27, no. 596; J. D. Draper, 'New Terracottas by Boizot and Julien', Metropolitan Museum Journal, 12, 1978, pp. 141-149; J. D. Draper, French Terracottas, New York, 1992, pp. 34-35; A. Poulet and G. Scherf, Clodion 1738-1814, exh. cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1992, pp. 265-275, nos. 55-56; J. D. Draper and G. Scherf, Playing with Fire. European Terracotta Models, 1740-1840, exh. cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, New York, 2003, pp. 50-51, no. 19