Bronze Cherub Riding a Winged Wheel on Marble Base

This charming late-19th-century bronze figure presents a playful allegory of time’s passage. A cherub rides a winged wheel, raising an hourglass high overhead while balancing upon the form beneath him. The composition is wonderfully animated, from the cherub’s windswept curls and outstretched limbs to the dramatically modeled wings that envelop the wheel.

The imagery cleverly brings together two enduring symbols of fleeting time: the hourglass marking its measured passage and the winged wheel suggesting its swift and unstoppable movement. The youthful cherub lends a lighthearted quality to the allegory. The bronze is mounted upon a cylindrical burgundy marble pedestal with contrasting dark marble moldings at the base and top. Rich veining throughout the stone provides a handsome complement to the warm patina of the bronze.

9″ High x 3″ Wide x 3″ Deep

Circa 1880