Orléans Biscuit Allegory Fidelity Louis XVI Period Sevres Porcelain Paris 18th Century

Orléans or Paris Allegory of Fidelity Porcelain biscuit for the statuette, white Carrara marble and sea green marble for the base Louis XVI period, end of the 18th century H. 35 cm; diameter: 13 cm Our statuette made of bisque porcelain represents a young woman dressed in a pleated dress. She is represented with a contraposto, one breast in the air. In her right hand she holds a bouquet of flowers, in her left hand a fiery heart is placed along her chest. At her feet, a dog looking at her The allegory of Fidelity: This is a subject strongly treated during the reign of Louis XV and Louis XVI with the theme of feelings. Our statuette is part of a limited corpus of work and can easily be compared to a work by Jean Baptiste PIGALLE representing Friendship in the guise of Madame de Pompadour. This allegory is mainly illustrated with the hand on the heart, symbol of the gift of oneself. Our work, for its part, includes an additional detail which is the dog. Often associated with fidelity, he can be represented sleeping when infidelity is represented in the Northern School and alive thus showing his vitality. The presence of the dog, of the hand on the heart, reinforces this feeling of loyalty forever. The subject is well known and it has been treated in particular by the Manufacture de royale de Sèvres, sometimes with a circular base in blue porcelain and gold fillet. Condition report: Very good general condition, however, it should be noted some tiny gaps, particularly on the flower petals and two cooking cracks on the dog's paws.