A. Meunier - Pair Of Miniature Bronzes With Putti

Evoking all the grace and lightness of the 19th-century neo-rococo aesthetic, this delicate pair of miniature bronze putti is distinguished by the finesse of its modeling and the timeless charm of its childlike figures. Each putto, nude, set in a natural posture, embodies an ideal of innocence and elegance dear to the artists of the Second Empire and the Third Republic. The deep, silky brown patina highlights the soft volumes of the bronze, while the circular gilded wood bases enhance the ensemble with a subtle shine, evoking the refined presentations of 19th-century amateur cabinets. One of the two subjects bears the signature "A. Meunier", although the artist could not be identified with certainty. He was probably a sculptor active in the 1870s–1890s, part of the tradition of small decorative bronzes produced in Parisian workshops, often intended for bourgeois interiors or collectors' display cases. Tasteful pieces, balanced in their composition and full of life, these two putti will form a very distinguished ensemble on a console, in a library or at the heart of a refined decor. They will appeal to lovers of objets d'art from the historicist period as well as connoisseurs of 19th-century French bronzes.