WHITE MARBLE OF THREATENING LOVE AFTER ÉTIENNE FALCONET

White marble sculpture of "L'Amour menaçant" after the work of Étienne FALCONET (1716-1791), on a molded gray marble base.

The original work, also known as "L'Amour Falconet", was commissioned by Mme de Pompadour, whose plaster model was exhibited at the Salon of 1755. The marble statue, presented at the Salon two years later, adorned the gardens of the Hôtel d'Evreux, the future Palais de l'Elysée, the Marquise's Parisian home. The iconography is that of Silent Love: seated on clouds, the mischievous Cupid asks for silence as he draws an arrow from his quiver. The pleasing subject recalls Harpocrates, the god of Silence, with his finger on his lips.

Condition report: Chips and wear. Chips on the base. Natural vein on back.