Clodion

Nymph and Satyr, 1775. Terracotta, approx. 23 inches high. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. (bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913.)

Clodion (real name Claude Michel) (1738-1814). French sculptor (known by the diminutive form of his first name), who created some of the most charming works of his age. the son-in-law of Pajou and the nephew of L.-S. Adam, he trained with the latter and briefly with Pigalle. He produced a few large-scale works, but he excelled chiefly in small statuettes and terracotta figures and groups. They are often of light-hearted classical subjects - nymphs and satyrs and son on - and have the wit and verve of the best Rococo art. After the Revolution he changed his style completely to suit the sterner Neoclassical taste; his later work included carvings on the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (1806-9) in Paris which was built to commemorate Napoleon's victories. (Ian Chilvers)

Johann Zoffany

Charles Towneley's Library in Park Street, 1783. Oil on canvas. Towneley Hall Art Gallery, Burnley

Marble athletes, nymphs, gods, goddesses and portrait busts are crammed into the library of the collector. Towneley, seated in the chair on the right, his faithful dog at this feet, is surrounded by fellow antiquaries and connoisseurs. The elegant library contains all the accouterments of the cultured 18th century gentleman with highly refined tastes. The bust of Clytie on the desk is said to have been such a favorite of his that he referred to it as his wife. German by birth, Zoffany (1733-1810) travelled and studied extensively in Italy. He met Towneley in Florence and the 2 men became close friends. Zoffany arrived in London in 1760 and set up as a painter of portraits, interiors and theatrical scenes. In 1783, he went to India where he made his fortune painting portraits. (Butler, Van Cleave and Stirling)

When I first looked at this painting, it was hard to tell who was real and who was a sculpture... it struck me as humorous. Surrounding one's self with all that sculpture would maybe combat loneliness. :) On the flip side, Mr. Towneley was obviously a man of information, wealth and a serious art collector.

Veduta

Antonio Canaletto, Basin of San Marco from San Giorgio Maggiore, 1740. Oil on canvas, Wallace Collection, London.

Well-to-do British tourists were flooding Venice during this time and looking for souvenirs to take home. Scenes of the Grand Canal were especially popular and these paintings usually began as plein air sketches and finished in his studio. He was known for his beautiful detail as well as expert light and shadow.

A type of naturalistic landscape and cityscape painting popular in 18th century Venice. Literally, 'view' painting. (Gardner)