Cupid ("L'Amour Falconet")

Sèvres Manufactory|Etienne-Maurice Falconet

ca. 1758–66 · Figure: soft-paste biscuit porcelain; base: glazed porcelain, enameled and gilt · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The biscuit figure of Cupid was first produced at Sèvres in 1758, the year after Falconet exhibited his marble version in the Salon. The factory began producing bases for the Cupid in 1761, the same year that Psyche, the mate to Cupid, was introduced. This base is inscribed with a quote from Voltaire that reads (in translation): 'Who'er thou art, thy master see: he is, or was, or ought to be'.

Artist

Sèvres Manufactory|Etienne-Maurice Falconet

Date

ca. 1758–66

Medium

Figure: soft-paste biscuit porcelain; base: glazed porcelain, enameled and gilt

Culture

French, Sèvres

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1945