Description: White marble, gilded bronze.
Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (1714–1785 Paris) came from a family of cabinetmakers. He studied under Robert Le Lorrain and Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne and was influenced by Bouchardon. He lived in Italy from 1734 to 1739.
His works are influenced by both the Neoclassical and Baroque periods.
In1803, a street in Paris, where he had his studio, was even named after him.
A very similar variant of the "Putti with a Birdcage" is in the Louvre in Paris: "Little Girl with an Apple and a Bird," white marble, dated 1784. (RF 1511, acquired in 1910), 43 cm high, 33 cm wide, 36 cm diameter.
One of these variants, "Putto with Birdcage," was commissioned by "D'Armand-Joseph Paris de Monmartel," Marquis de Brunoy (1748–1781), godfather of Madame de Pompadour and court banker.
This marble figure was presented in the "Salon" in 1750.