After Etienne Maurice Falconet; 19th century.

Then ETIENNE MAURICE FALCONET (France, 1716-1791); 19th century.
"Menacing Cupid."
Marble.
The wings are missing.
Measurements: 40 x 20 x 22 cm.
This sculpture offers a delicate representation of Cupid, the god of love, captured in a serene and majestic pose. Nude, according to classical iconography, he is elegantly seated on a stylized cloud that takes the form of a soft mound seated on a circular profile base.
The work follows the models of the French sculptor Etienne Falconet, specifically the work entitled Cupid threatening which was made by the artist in 1758 and now belongs to the Wallace collection in London.
One of the masters of the Baroque school, Falconet was also in some respects a neoclassical sculptor. Falconet was born in 1716 in Paris into a poor family, and initially trained as a carpenter. In his spare time he made clay figures, which led to his discovery by the French sculptor Lemoyne. Falconet came to public attention after exhibiting at the Salons in the mid-1750s, and in 1757 he was appointed director of sculpture at the new manufactory in Sèvres. Falconet left his post at Sèvres in 1766 to begin work commissioned by Catherine the Great of Russia, completing his most famous work, The Bronze Horseman, in 1782. During his lifetime, Falconet also studied Greek and Latin and wrote several volumes of literary works. His writings and sculptures can be seen in museums around the world.