Love and Friendship by DeJoux in the Walters Art Museum, September 2009

"L'Amour et L'Amitie" (Love and Friendship)


Creators: Claude Dejoux (French, 1732-1816) (Artist), After Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (French, 1714-1785) (Artist)


Period: 1783

Medium: plaster, limestone, and metal base (Sculpture)

Accession Number: 27.504

Measurements: H: 57 in. (144.78 cm); H of plinth: 40 1/2 in. (102.87 cm)

Geographies: Paris, France (Place of Origin)

In 1754, Mme de Pompadour commissioned from Pigalle the original marble (now in the Louvre Museum, Paris). It was intended for her château in Bellevue on the outskirts of Paris and served as an allegory of her relationship with Louis XV, which had changed from that of mistress to confidant. Her features are recognizable on the figure of Friendship. After Mme de Pompadour's death, the statue was acquired by Louis Joseph de Bourbon, prince of Condé. In 1783, Marie Catherine de Brignole, the mistress of the prince of Condé, ordered this plaster version for the "Temple of Love" on her estate at Betz, in northern France. Pigalle, who was then 69 years old, consented to have his younger colleague Dejoux cast the piece. The statue and temple commemorated her love for the prince of Condé, who later became her husband.

Text from: art.thewalters.org/detail/19001/lamour-et-lamitie-love-an...