Terracotta Group of Cupid and Psyche

Culture: Greek/Taranto
Period: 3rd century B.C.
Material: Terracotta
Dimensions: 14 cm x 11 cm
Price: Sold
Ref: 2340
Provenance: French private collection Charles-Louis Frossard (1827-1902). Through inheritance to daughter Emilie Isabelle Frossard (1854-1921). Thence through inheritance to Henry Schloesing (1879-1958) who sold it in 1928 to Joseph Altounian (1890-1954). Since then in a family estate. Accompanied a French antiquities passport.
Condition: One of Cupid’s wings missing, traces of weathering, but overall an emotional sculptural group.
Description: Fragment of a terracotta group depicting Cupid and Psyche. The divine Cupid seated on a rock facing lovingly to his beloved and tenderly holding her in his arm. His long hair cascades along the nape. The wings are raised. The mortal Psyche with her hair pulled back and bare upper body leans in his lap and turns her head to her lover. She wears a dress wrapped around her waist and pleating down her lap. The left leg is advanced, the right one leans on a rock. A wonderful terracotta group full of tenderness. Possibly from Taranto. With a TL test of 8 August 2019 confirming the age of the statuette.