Morillos attributed to Philippe Caffieri, ca. 1770

Pair of morillos attributed to PHILIPPE CAFFIERI (Paris, 1714-1774), ca. 1770.
Gilded and patinated bronze.
Measurements: 35 x 30 x 16 cm.

This pair of "chenets" features modeled figures of a poodle and a Persian cat, each seated on a tasseled cushion, supported on a "goût grec" style base with frieze of vitruvian scrolls and dadoes with rosettes on fluted pilasters. The design reflects the playful inventiveness of the rococo court, while the neo-Grec bases are evidence of the transition to neoclassical during the period of the monarch Louis XVI.

This model is first documented in a 1755 inventory of the workshop of Jacques Caffieri, and his son Philippe Caffieri, supplying in 1773 a pair of morillos with cat and dog figures, probably of the same model as the present ones, to the "Prince de Condé" (1736 - 1818). The dog and cat models appear on various bases; in this case, the variant with cushion and neoclassical base with scrolls and rosette is the earliest known.