BISCUIT "TWO LOVES DISPUTING A HEART" BY FALCONET (1716-1791)

Statuette in biscuit porcelain after Étienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-1791). Two young winged lovers are depicted fighting to recover a heart shown on the base. The whole resting on a fine walnut wood base. Signed on the base Pigalle and marked "Manufacture de Samson". This sculpture, usually recognized as the work of Falconet, has also been attributed to Pigalle. Both sculptors worked for Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne.

Documentation: This theme enabled Falconet to depict a subject dear to 18th-century hearts, while at the same time expressing his skill in depicting movement. The "Deux Amours se disputant un coeur" group produced at Sèvres was a great success, and was widely distributed in porcelain, marble and bronze. Works from the Sèvres manufactory, sent as diplomatic gifts to various European courts, were also copied extensively. Among the most sought-after models were Falconet's children and bathers, whose fame quickly spread to all the manufactures of Europe, from Vienna to Copenhagen, and from England to Italy.

Dimensions without base: W: 26 cm, D: 22 cm, H: 41 cm.

Condition report: very good.