Description
These statuettes represent the opposing spectrums of love—fickle and faithful—both portrayed by Cupid. Fickle Love absent-mindedly plays with a butterfly, a symbol of the fleeting moment. Conversely, Faithful Love is accompanied by a dog, the ultimate loyal companion. These works were originally believed to be by the hand of Augustin Pajou, because the works are signed and he made nearly identical sculptures. However, due to the slightly clumsy execution and the awkward scale of the signatures, the museum now believes the statuettes were created by another artist after Pajou's design.
Provenance
Baron Maurice de Rothschild, Paris;; [Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., Inc, NY, 1917];; Grace Rainey Rogers, New York.
Accession Number
1942.54.2
Medium
marble
Dimensions
without base: 26 x 10.9 x 10 cm (10 1/4 x 4 5/16 x 3 15/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
Gift of Grace Rainey Rogers in memory of her father, William J. Rainey