Antique patinated bronze sculpture of putti

This beautiful Belle Époque sculpture, created from patinated bronze in France during the latter years of the 19^th Century, depicts a pair of putti gently wrestling. The pair stand on an oval naturalistically cast bronze base. The object of each putto’s desire—and the cause of their wrestling with one another—is a small heart, which sits on the base below. The cupidine putti struggle to win the heart—the classical reference is unmistakable. Each putto is wonderfully cast and finished, rendered in a lifelike, naturalistic pose, his features—such as his hair and wings—delicately detailed and designed to be seen in the round. Moreover, the warm patination accents individual aspects of the sculptural group, such as the hair atop the putti’s heads, which, given the skilled patination, has a warm and golden character.