Kneeling Cupid
Statuette
ca. 1730-1732 (made)
ca. 1730-1732 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This kneeling putti and the second corresponding one (V&A mus. no. 910-1855) are made by Laurent Delvaux (1696-1778) in ca. 1725-8. They may have been made as models for figures on a tomb.
Delvaux was trained in Antwerp under Pieter-Denis Plumier, with whom he was later to work in London alongside Peter Scheemakers on the monument of John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham in Westminster Abbey. Delvaux and Scheemakers went into partnership and executed monuments and some garden figures. In 1728 they left London for Rome where Delvaux remained until 1732, before returning to the Netherlands. While in Rome he executed a number of commissions for Italian and British patrons including John Russell 4th Duke of Bedford, who commissioned a number of works inspired by antique sculpture. He was appointed court sculptor in Brussels in 1733, and in 1734 settled in Nivelles where his workshop produced many religious works, including the monumental pulpit at St Bavo, Ghent. After 1750 he was employed by Charles of Lorraine (1712-1780), Governor of the Netherlands, to produce decorative work for his residences in Brussels, Tervuren and Mariemont.
Delvaux was trained in Antwerp under Pieter-Denis Plumier, with whom he was later to work in London alongside Peter Scheemakers on the monument of John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham in Westminster Abbey. Delvaux and Scheemakers went into partnership and executed monuments and some garden figures. In 1728 they left London for Rome where Delvaux remained until 1732, before returning to the Netherlands. While in Rome he executed a number of commissions for Italian and British patrons including John Russell 4th Duke of Bedford, who commissioned a number of works inspired by antique sculpture. He was appointed court sculptor in Brussels in 1733, and in 1734 settled in Nivelles where his workshop produced many religious works, including the monumental pulpit at St Bavo, Ghent. After 1750 he was employed by Charles of Lorraine (1712-1780), Governor of the Netherlands, to produce decorative work for his residences in Brussels, Tervuren and Mariemont.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Kneeling Cupid (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Terracotta |
| Brief description | Statuette, terracotta, Kneeling Cupid, signed L.D for Laurent Delvaux, South Netherlandish, about 1730 |
| Physical description | Kneeling cupid with cornucopia of flowers. Signed L.D. for Laurent Delvaux. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'L.D.' (for Laurent Delvaux) |
| Object history | Purchased in 1855 for £1 0s 2d; vendor not recorded. A pendent figure to this was purchased at the same time (910-1855). |
| Production | This and the pendant putto were probably made in London. Signed in monogram on the side of the pediment: L.D. A putto with cornucopia of flowers, similarly signed in monogram, is illustrated by Willame in his monograph on Delvaux. Similar putti signed L.D., and an unsigned figure of the Infant Hercules attributed to Delvaux, were included in a sale at Christie's, London, 8 December 1992, lots 59 to 61. Jacobs has noted the similarity between such figures and the putti adorning funerary monuments executed by the Delvaux and Scheemakers partnership, particularly that to Dr Hugh Chamberlen of c. 1730-2 in Westminster Abbey, suggesting an approximate date for the terracottas. Malcolm Baker has however recently suggested that this present piece and its pendant might be later in date. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This kneeling putti and the second corresponding one (V&A mus. no. 910-1855) are made by Laurent Delvaux (1696-1778) in ca. 1725-8. They may have been made as models for figures on a tomb. Delvaux was trained in Antwerp under Pieter-Denis Plumier, with whom he was later to work in London alongside Peter Scheemakers on the monument of John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham in Westminster Abbey. Delvaux and Scheemakers went into partnership and executed monuments and some garden figures. In 1728 they left London for Rome where Delvaux remained until 1732, before returning to the Netherlands. While in Rome he executed a number of commissions for Italian and British patrons including John Russell 4th Duke of Bedford, who commissioned a number of works inspired by antique sculpture. He was appointed court sculptor in Brussels in 1733, and in 1734 settled in Nivelles where his workshop produced many religious works, including the monumental pulpit at St Bavo, Ghent. After 1750 he was employed by Charles of Lorraine (1712-1780), Governor of the Netherlands, to produce decorative work for his residences in Brussels, Tervuren and Mariemont. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 911-1855 |
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| Record created | April 16, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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