Small Carved Wooden Panel With Putti Bearing The Attributes Of Justice, 16th-17th Centuries

Charming carved wooden relief with putti figures, datable to the 16th or 17th century. This fragment of ornamental woodwork presents an iconographic curiosity: two putti are dressed in the traditional attributes of Justice (blindfold, straight sword, scales), traditionally embodied in the emblematic of the modern era by a female figure. We therefore propose to see in this sculpted piece, not an allegory of Justice, but playful putti having borrowed said attributes, a figuration that is ultimately consistent with the role assumed by these small creatures in iconography and decorative systems from the 15th century onwards. As Charles Dempsey or Bertrand Prévost have shown, putti embody dance, play, and a very widespread mischievous presence in painted or sculpted decoration. We note small missing parts visible in the photographs, notably on the scales. Dimensions: 26x26 cm.