Pair of Louis XVI ornamental terracottas

Pair of terracottas from the Louis XVI period representing two putti standing on a column shaft. Each piece is composed of a child standing on a column shaft, one holds and puts his foot on a cornucopia, the other on a dolphin. A garland of roses decorates each column. The base is encircled by a crown of laurels.
The treatment of the putti, the dolphin and the roses of the garland as well as the references to antiquity with the column shaft and the laurels are characteristic of the neoclassical style very much in vogue under Louis XVI.
The iconography associating the cornucopia with the figure of the dauphin allows a comparison with the projects of especially cookie published on the occasion of the birth of the son of Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI on October 22, 1781. The long-awaited arrival of a male heir to the French crown was seen as a guarantee of political stability for the country. It was also an opportunity for the Sèvres factory to produce sculpted groups, table ornaments in terracotta or cookies associating the allegories of abundance and the dauphin.
During meals "à la française", sculpted decorations in porcelain occupied the center of the table with candelabras, baskets ... These decorations could have themes chosen from literature, take up famous statues or follow the news.

Slight restoration.
Dim.(HxWxD) : 37 x 16 x16 cm.