“Cruel Love”, large bisque bust, Agathon Léonard for Sèvres

A large bust of Cruel Love in Sèvres biscuit porcelain, mounted on a cobalt-blue porcelain pedestal embellished with gold. This god of love, with curly hair, wears a quiver slung over his shoulder. His head is turned to the left; he smiles peacefully, yet with a hint of irony. Agathon would associate a saying with his Love: ‘He who meddles with it, gets pricked by it!’ Signed on the back of the shoulder, bearing the Sèvres mark with an engraved date, 1919. Superb condition.

Size: H 54 cm including the plinth (H 49 cm for the bisque) – W 31 cm – base diameter 21 cm

Sèvres, c. 1919.

Littr. Agathon Léonard’s major work is undoubtedly ‘Le jeu d’écharpe’, a group of dancers produced in bisque and bronze. His work, steeped in the Art Nouveau style, consists mainly of angels and dancers, depicted full-length or as busts. Léonard modelled and exhibited a series of four busts of Cupid: Cupid, the Timid Cupid, the Cruel Cupid and the Masked Cupid. This Cruel Cupid looks to the left, whilst the Cupid looks to the right. Sèvres produced several versions in biscuit porcelain from as early as 1898.

Model featured in the artist’s catalogue raisonné, *Agathon Leonard, le geste Art Nouveau*, p. 91, published by Art Somogy.