The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

The Game of Leap Frog

The Game of Leap Frog

1785
(French, 1746–1810)
(French, 1760–1843)
Framed: 30 x 53.5 x 4 cm (11 13/16 x 21 1/16 x 1 9/16 in.); Overall: 40.7 cm (16 in.)
Location: not on view

Description

This decorative frieze follows the design of Moitte, an artist known for reliefs, especially in the beginning stages of his career. Some of Moitte's favorite subjects in this period were Bacchic scenes of antiquity. These images of revelry and sensuousness are based on classical narratives; however, there is no evidence that the ancients played games of leapfrog, and so the subject is Moitte's invention, with a contemporary game of leapfrog performed by the mythical cohorts of Bacchus. The design of the drapery is typical of Moitte, especially the keenly animated dress. Moitte's early technique emulated painting in bas-relief. The sculptor, Gérard, follows Moitte's design, using the unusual mediums of slate and wax. His technique is not entirely understood, however, it is thought to be a combination of modeling and carving.
  • Cambacérès, Duc de Parma, Arch Chancellor of the Empire (1753-1824)
    1880
    Prince Paul Demidoff, Palais de San Donato
    March 25, 1944
    J. Pierpont Morgan (sold, Parke-Bernet, New York, March 25, 1944, lot 679)
    -1944
    Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Company, Inc. (New York, New York), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1944.
    1944-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Thirion, H. Les Adam et Clodion. Paris: A. Quantin, 1885. p. 410, #679
    Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc. Furniture and Objects of Art, Part Two. 1944.
    Hawley, Henry H. Neo-Classicism: Style and Motif. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art; distributed by H.N. Abrams, New York, 1964. cat. #67, repr.
    Pyke, E. J. A Biographical Dictionary of Wax Modellers. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1973. p. 30
    Campbell, Richard J. Jean-Guillaume Moitte: The Sculpture and Graphic Art 1785-1799. 1983. p. 309.
    Ditner, David Charles. Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century European Sculpture in the Cleveland Museum of Art. 1986. p. 230
  • Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 6, 2016).
    Rococo, Revolution, Restoration. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 11-September 24, 1989).
    Neo-classicism: Style and Motif. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    Islamic Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 3, 1944-February 2, 1945).
    Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (1944).
  • {{cite web|title=The Game of Leap Frog|url=false|author=Jean Guillaume Moitte, Antoine-François Gérard|year=1785|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1944.237