"L'Amour et l'Amitié"

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.

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Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Marie Catherine de Brignole [Princesse de Monaco], Betz, France, 1783, by commission; Baron de Richter, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Jacques Seligmann, 1914 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Mrs. Henry Walters, New York, 1914, by purchase; Mrs. Henry Walters Sale, New York, May 3, 1941, no. 1380; Walters Art Museum, 1941, by purchase.