Female Allegory In Terracotta - Frances, XVIIIth Century

This terracotta represents a young woman standing, dressed in a fine antique tunic. By detaching, the latter falls elegantly along the bust of our figure, revealing his chest. His head thrown slightly back, his face is illuminated with a radiant smile and gracefully framed by a long hair freely wavy and crowned with a chapel of flowers. At his feet, a chubby putto holds out a cornucopia in his direction. The antiquistic outfit of our character, his nakedness displayed as well as the presence of some key objects, inscribe our work in the register of the Allegory. The presence of the small mirror that she holds, as well as the cornucopia carried by the putto, could designate here the Allegory of Prudence, as it is found figured on a print by Federico Zuccaro today preserved at the National Library of France (Paris, BNF, Estampes, Rès.B3). Indeed, the presence of the mirror as an attribute of Prudence dates back to the Middle Ages and signifies forecasting the future and self-knowledge. It is found in the hands of this allegory as early as 1305 in a fresco by Giotto at the Arena in Padua, but also later in Simon Vouet or the Baciccio. As for the horn of plenty, more rarely used, it means that "abundance is a consequence of prudence". The life breathed into this group as well as the playful and sensual character of the figures give our sculpture all the charm that characterizes the Flemish terracotta productions of the 18th century.