Vintage marble relief "Putti, garlands and flowers" by François Duquesnoy, France 1892

Magnificent neoclassical marble relief representing one of the best known reliefs by François Duquesnoy (1597-1643), a Flemish Baroque sculptor who settled in Rome in the 17th century. The lower left side bears the credits to Duquesnoy, as well as the date of its production in France in 1892. This is an extraordinary neoclassical high relief of exquisite craftsmanship, as some of the figures appear to be carved in rounded relief, emerging from the frame and invading the viewer's space. The reverse is adorned with an inlaid bronze medallion depicting Fama flying towards the sun and bearing the inscription "Vires Acquirit Eundo", which translates to "We gain strength as we go forward".IconographyA group of four putti or angels are depicted, playing with each other and entangling themselves in the fleshy background of flowers and garlands. In various poses, they appear in motion and naked. This plump and childlike anatomy is close to an exaggerated classicism. This is a type created in the 17th century, also in common with Rubens' paintings. In fact, Rubens wrote to Duquesnoy in 1640 thanking him for sending casts of the putti from the tomb of the sculptor Ferdinand van den Eynde in Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome. Artists like Dusquesnoy reflected the knowledge of the subtle contours of Greek sculpture, which was considered superior to Roman works. It was here that the seeds were sown for what would become the neoclassicism that Winckelmann promoted so much.Size: 57 x 67 / 30 x 39 cm. Reference : 263702