Children and Satyr Children with a Pantheress and Her Cubs 1776 - 1786

Editor: Here we have Clodion’s marble relief, "Children and Satyr Children with a Pantheress and Her Cubs," dating back to the late 1770s or early 1780s. I’m immediately struck by the joyous chaos of it all – the sheer number of figures crammed into this scene. What narrative or mood do you think Clodion was aiming for with this piece? Curator: Chaos, yes, a beautiful organised chaos! To me, it's like stumbling upon a Bacchanalian revelry – imagine tiny gods, cherubs even, finding mischief in a sun-drenched forest. This feels deeply Rococo. Playful eroticism mixed with an idealized pastoral fantasy, right? Do you see how the high relief practically spills out towards the viewer? Almost bursting with vitality. It's far from stuffy. More like…naughty nymphs escaping a Titian painting! Editor: Naughty nymphs, I love that! The detail is amazing; you can almost feel the texture of the pantheress's fur. Do you think the panther has a particular significance or is it mostly about aesthetic embellishment? Curator: A pantheress with cubs would evoke fertility and maternal power. Here, the animal becomes just another plaything in this wild fantasy, where the divine mingles with the animal in this sculptural daydream. Do you find her scary at all? Editor: Not at all! It all seems like a game. And this gives me such a fresh understanding of rococo art! Curator: Exactly! Gone is the rigid posing of court portraiture, only boundless playful abandon remains!