Pair of Directoire Gilt Bronze Allegorical Sculptures of Children

The 17th century putti raised on gilt bronze-mounted neoclassical porphyry bases from the late 18th century.

Each with a recumbent winged sphinx with scrolling foliate arabesques to their back, upon a bow-ended rectangular gadrooned plinth, the frieze with a panel applied with entrelacs, on fluted toupie feet. Several models of chenets with sphinx exist, dating from the 1780s. An example with winged sphinxes with headresses and with female mask centering the frieze, attributed to either Pierre Gouthière or Pierre-Philippe Thomire, exists in several versions in the Louvre, Versailles and the Cleveland Museum of Art (see H. Ottomeyer/P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol.I, p.276, fig. 4.11.14.). This model is based on a drawing by the architect François-Joseph Bélanger in the Bibliothèque Nationale, illustrated op. cit., fig. 4.11.13. Another type of sphinx chenet...

An Interesting Pair of Late 19th Century Gilt Bronze Chenets Each depicting Bacchus, wrapped in grape vines, flanked by a cherub and standing on a bronze base. Details: Height – 19...

A Cute Pair of Late 19th Century Bronze Children Depicting the Arts and Literature Each depicting a child sitting on a Beloc griotte marble step and a gilt bronze base. One child reading...