Francesco Fanelli - Cupid with a Bow on Horseback - Walters 54146
Summary
Inspired by love poetry, the notion of Cupid as a hunter imagines the experience of falling in love as the result of an onrushing attack. Nobody is safe from Cupid's bow. His steed is depicted in full gallop, its front hooves lifted, a wonderful display of baroque energy and movement.
The Italian sculptor Francesco Fanelli was active in England from about 1630 through 1642. In his treatise on architecture, he proudly described himself as "sculptor to the king of Great Britain." This is one of the models that he and his workshop produced in significant numbers during his years working for Charles I and his court; the version in the king's collection may have been the prototype.
Tags
Date
1642
Source
Walters Art Museum
Copyright info
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