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| Minton & Company Clodion Venus terracotta-tinted Parian porcelain English 1873 |
The famous Clodion Venus (above) now in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, began life as a manufacturer's sample-piece. The challenge was to produce a porcelain-glazed portrait-bust in the spirit of the traditional European terracotta portrait-bust, a popular format that had flourished since the early Renaissance. The examples below (some from the V&A, some from the Getty) demonstrate the level of refinement achieved in this narrow and specialized sculptural genre. Yet the Clodion Venus remains unique in one respect, as the only object among those here that partakes of that special, coy, modern approach to image-making known in 20th century jargon as 'cheesecake.'
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| Lucas Faydherbe Hercules Belgian 1640s |
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| Bust of a man French second half of the 18th century |
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| Aimé-Jules Dalou Miss Helen Ionides English 1879 |
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| Pierre Merard Unknown man French 1786 |
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| Michel-Jean Sedaine Augustin Pajou French 1775 |
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| John Bacon Unkonwn elderly man English c. 1770-99 |
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| Alessandro Algardi Cardinal Paolo Emilio Zacchia Italian c. 1650 |
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| Watcombe Terracotta Clay Company Charity English c. 1869-76 |
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| Michel Erhart Head of a young man (back view) German c. 1480 |