Portrait of a Man, said to be the Sculptor Clodion (1738–1814)

late 1700s

Portrait of a Man, said to be the Sculptor Clodion (1738–1814), late 1700s. Unknown. Black chalk with stumping and red and blue chalks; frame details in pen and brown ink and blue washes; diameter: 13.7 cm (5 3/8 in.); height: 13.9 cm (5 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2018.51 This portrait is presumed to represent the French sculptor Clodion (1738-1814). He is depicted as a nobleman, wearing a suit with a ruffled collar and a wig tied with a ribbon. The medallion format and use of color in this drawing recall painted portrait miniatures, an art form that reached the height of its popularity in the 18th century.