Text, Statue of Venus and Cupid

Richelieu collection. Venus and Cupid. Marble. 1st or 2nd century AD and early 17th century restorations by L'Algarde (?) (1595-1654). The statue, acquired in Rome in 1630, adorned one of the niches of the entrance pavilion, on the courtyard side, at the Ch?teau de Richelieu. Only the headless body is ancient. The restorer had put a bow in his left hand, and created the little Cupid from scratch. Perhaps it is Alessandro L'Algarde who worked in Rome around 1630 on sculptures intended for France for Frangipani, one of Richelieu's agents. The modern head, carved in another marble, copies the famous Venus Medici, today in Florence. Revolutionary seizure, 1801. Inventory MR 386 (usual n? Ma 2278). Richelieu collection. Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642) built up the largest French collection of antiques from the first half of the 17th century. The sculptures adorned his many residences, mainly the Palais-Cardinal in Paris and the family castle, in Richelieu, in Poitou. In the 18th century, Mar