Nude child (one of a pair)
Unknown Artist
early 18th century
Medium
Wood, carved and painted
Dimensions
No dimensions recorded
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1906
Accession Number
07.225.411b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming early 18th-century French sculpture, titled *Nude Child (one of a pair)*, depicts a boy in a playful, naturalistic pose, likely holding a musical instrument—a nod to the era's delight in childhood innocence and the arts. Crafted by an unknown artist, it belongs to a matching pair, suggesting they were designed as decorative companions, perhaps for a grand salon or collector's cabinet in a wealthy French household. Acquired as a gift from financier. Pierpont Morgan in1906, it now graces the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection. Carved fro...