Three Cupids Turning a Somersault, an Eagle on the Right
Original title: Three Cupids Turning a Somersault, an Eagle on the Right
kurzbeschreibung
Three putti tumble through the air, one caught mid-somersault, while an eagle has settled on the right. Louis Félix de La Rue produced this motif as an etching with engraving; no year of creation is recorded, and the sheet belongs among his graphic works.
Description
Three naked putti hover in shifting turns, their bodies following a sweeping movement that is barely held still. To the right sits an eagle, its plumage drawn with precise strokes, bringing calm and weight to the otherwise light play. The background stays spare, so the figures stand out all the more clearly. Worked in black on white, the print lives from delicate, carefully placed lines.
Context
De La Rue, born in 1730 and dead in 1777, worked as a sculptor and draughtsman and also as an etcher. Ornamental and mythological motifs, often with putti and classical echoes, run through his work. Exactly when this sheet was made is unknown; it can be placed in the mid-eighteenth century, a time when such scenes were valued in French art. De La Rue often worked for the Sèvres porcelain manufactory and belonged to the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture.
Impact
The quiet eagle and the hovering putti meet and give the sheet something both cheerful and solemn. The delicate linework lends it an elegant, almost ornamental quality that invites close looking.
Technique
Etching and engraving interlock and allow a very precise line. Because it is printed only in black, the plastic effects arise through different stroke strengths and densities. It was printed on paper; the plate measures 27.4 x 22.2 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)