The high relief with the head of a nymph was created by Claude-François Michel, known under the pseudonym of Clodion. The image was cast in bronze in the 19th century. It is decorated with thin plates of marble – the stone was glued on top of an already finished base. Researches have not determined the exact type of the marble. It is also unknown who exactly was engaged in the casting itself. Often, artists executed sculptures of wax or gypsum themselves, and later bronze artisans cast them in bronze.

Clodion also presented nymphs as beautiful women. One of his most famous sculptures is the river nymph in the A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

The composition of terracotta – fired clay – was constantly copied both during the artist’s life and after his death.

Clodion lived for about 10 years in Italy and was largely inspired by classical art. His characters are often endowed with human features, and are anatomically accurate: muscles, joints and body proportions look like real ones. The nymph from this bronze high relief is also similar in features to a human. She stares vividly at the satyr and smiles joyfully. 

The art critic Svetlana Morozova wrote that Clodion’s fauns and satyrs are a little coarsish, but always ‘make a plastic contrast to the graceful naked nymphs and bacchantes’. The sculptor usually made girls’ faces pretty, “with a small, slightly upturned nose and a soft chin”. His nymphs smile innocently, their mouths slightly open. In such a way the artist emphasized the “youth and childness” of the creatures.

Clodion’s bronze high reliefs adorned rich interiors. Already in Italy, there began a great demand for his works. Many of the artist’s creations are displayed in various museums around the world and private collections.