Joseph Charles Marin (1759-1834) French, 1782

the Satyress with an urn dated: 1782 to the underside

Galerie Patrice Bellanger, Paris, 1992

Paris, Galerie Patrice Bellanger, Joseph Charles Marin 1759-1834, 1992

P. Bellanger (ed.), Joseph Charles Marin 1759-1834, Paris, 1992, nos. 2 and 3

Overall the condition of the figures is very good. There is some dirt and minor wear to the surface consistent with age. The figures were possibly polychromed are given a slip: traces of colour remain in the hair, baskets and crevices around the hips. There are some minor stable firing cracks to the underside consistent with material. The satyress with the jar has such a crack running along the front edge near the jar. The satyress with the jar has a small chip to one of the petals of her wreath at the front. Her wrist was possibly restored. There is some minor wear to the painted wood bases.
"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 charming pair of Satyress' exhibit a freshness and quality of modelling that could only be the work of Clodion's most talented student, Joseph Charles Marin. Dated 1782, they constitute one of the artist's earliest known works, and are probably the studies for a larger finished commission. With their joyous Bacchic subjects they are very close to Clodion's sculptures, and find a particular affinity with the elder master's Erigone, of which the plaster is in the Château Maisons-Lafitte (Poulet and Scherf, op. cit., no. 52), as well as a number of other figures, including the energetic pair of infant satyrs in the Cleveland Museum of Art (inv. nos. 44.129 and 44.130).

The composition and the free quality of the modelling find parallels in one of Marin's later works, his Reclining Bacchante with Infants of 1793 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no. 1983.185.5). The present figures are particularly freshly worked; note, in particular, the use of a pointed tool to create the thick fur on the satyress' legs. Such interest in different surface textures is typical of Marin's terracottas, as are the volumous coiffures with trailing strands of hair. The flowers and fruit laying on the ground and overflowing from the pannier are beautifully pulled and gauged into recognisible natural forms.

Whilst the figures clearly represent a pair of satyress', they may also have an allegorical significance. As they salivate at the vines they both hold, they reference the mythical Erigone, daughter of Icarus, who was seduced by Bacchus in the form of a bunch of grapes.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. D. Draper, French Terracottas, New York, 1992, pp. 28-29, 44-45; A. Poulet and G. Scherf, Clodion 1738-1814, exh. cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1992, pp. 254-259 and 405-413, nos. 52 and 95