Attributed To Laurent Delvaux, Marble Angel-stoup, 18th Century

Oval marble medallion depicting a putto holding a conch shell in his hands, acting as a holy water font. The cherub is seated on a cloud mass, and two small cherub heads are visible on the right. The frame, added later, is carved wood, decorated with tulips and acanthus leaves, and topped with a sunflower.

This relief is attributed to the sculptor Laurent Delvaux (1696-1778). A native of Ghent, he was a pupil of Pierre-Denis Plumier in Brussels, where he was also influenced by the work of François Duquesnoy. After working in England and Italy, he returned to the Austrian Netherlands, where he was appointed court sculptor. He was particularly active in Nivelles, where he settled in 1734.

Laurent Delvaux created several sculptures of putti holding conch shells, acting as holy water fonts. Examples include a wall-mounted holy water font in the shape of a child holding a shell that the sculptor created for the Bishop of Ghent in 1743 (image 6), or a holy water font with a putto preserved in the Municipal Museum of the abbey tower of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (image 7). Several other works featuring this iconography, which seems to be specific to this artist, are listed in his corpus. He notably created two holy water angels for Charles-Alexandre de Lorraine (images 8 and 9), then Governor General of the Austrian Netherlands, whose models were widely distributed (Alain Jacobs, Laurent Delvaux: Ghent 1696-Nivelles 1778, Paris, Arthena, 1999, p. 397).
We note a greater similarity with another model, known from two high reliefs and a terracotta sculpture in the round (images 10 and 11), itself derived from works created for Charles-Alexandre de Lorraine. The posture of the cherub, the clouds as well as the shape of the conch are common to our medallion. Analogies are also to be noted with a holy water angel which was located at the Bijloke Abbey, near Ghent (image 12). This latter could also be a variant of the model mentioned above.

Good condition.
From the 18th century.

Dimensions:

Framed: 49 x 34 cm
Viewed: 25.5 x 17.5 cm