http://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/939625/resize%3Aformat%3DfullThe Flood1800Claude Michel, called ClodionTerracottaThis terracotta is Clodion's small-scale sketch for a lifesize plaster--one of his most important late works--that he exhibited at the Salon of 1801, in Paris. The sculpture depicts a father carrying his son as he struggles against the waves to find a higher elevation. Clodion intentionally selected the heroic subject matter in an attempt to secure a commission from the new consular government of France, headed by Napoleon Bonaparte. Although he earned a first-class medal for his works, the commission never materialized, and the original plaster has disappeared.Sculpture54.5000000000 Centimeter22.8600000000 Centimeterhttp://collections.mfa.org/objects/58921/rdf