Friendship Surprised by Love
Artist: Jean-Jacques Caffiéri (French, 1725-1792)
Date: 1777
Dimensions:
H (with base): 20 in. (50.8 cm);
H (without base): 16 5/8 in. (42.2 cm)
Medium: Bronze with gilt-bronze plinth
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott
Object number: 1971.160
Label Text:Jean-Jacques Caffiéri originally conceived this charming composition as a life-size marble for the gardens of Mme. du Barry—powerful mistress of King Louis XV—at Louveciennes. The plaster was shown at the Salon of 1773, but the marble was never carried out. This tabletop version was commissioned by Abbé Joseph-Marie Terray, an enlightened patron of contemporary sculpture in the 18th century. It is a companion piece to Cupid Vanquishing Pan (signifying “love conquers all”), now in the Wallace Collection, London.
The allegorical subject of Friendship Surprised by Love was a popular one that suited contemporary tastes for the sentimental. It often served as a personal and political allegory, lending to discussion on such themes as alliance and mutual love.
The allegorical subject of Friendship Surprised by Love was a popular one that suited contemporary tastes for the sentimental. It often served as a personal and political allegory, lending to discussion on such themes as alliance and mutual love.
On view
In Collection(s)