161 - Group of cupids as an allegory of the art of sculpture; the front of the pedestal features a gracefully curved base with relief borders of waves and oak leaves. A group of three cupids, set against rocky terrain, featuring a hammer and chisel, a drawing pencil and sketchpad, and the so-called Belvedere Torso, presenting themselves as sculptors. A sculptor’s trestle stands in the center, featuring tools and a bust of Tsarina Catherine II of Russia, crowned with a laurel wreath. Polychrome painting with rich gilding. Designed by Michel Victor Acier. Minimal restoration; fire crack. Sword mark. Height: 21 cm.

Group of cupids as an allegory of the art of sculpture; the front of the pedestal features a gracefully curved base with relief borders of waves and oak leaves. A group of three cupids, set against rocky terrain, featuring a hammer and chisel, a drawing pencil and sketchpad, and the so-called Belvedere Torso, presenting themselves as sculptors. A sculptor’s trestle stands in the center, featuring tools and a bust of Tsarina Catherine II of Russia, crowned with a laurel wreath. Polychrome painting with rich gilding. Designed by Michel Victor Acier. Minimal restoration; fire crack. Sword mark. Height: 21 cm. A cast of a group of figures designed by Acier in 1774 as part of the so-called “Great Russian Commission” for Empress Catherine II of Russia, known as Catherine the Great, for Oranienbaum Palace. The original group at Oranienbaum no longer exists today. See Pietsch, Cat. Meissen for the Tsars, No. 188. An allegorical porcelain figure group of cupids representing the sculptural work modeled by M.V. Acier for the “Great Russian Order” of Tsarina Catherine the Great. Minor restoration. Firing crack. Crossed swords mark. Meissen. Second half of the 19th century.