18th century, Plaque with Cupid and a pair of swans

18th century Plaque with Cupid and a pair of swans Walnut wood, mother-of-pearl, horn and landscape stone, cm 11.5 x 10 This very refined multi-material object could, in all probability, have originally served as the lid of a small and elegant jewelry box: the precious materials used for the creation of the artifact, as well as the great technical expertise of their processing, suggest that the object could have been particularly valuable and made for a cultured, refined, and high-level clientele. In the central panel of the plaque, made of walnut wood, Cupid is represented in the act of holding a garland of flowers in his hands: near the putto there are two swans that touch their beaks: that of the two swans placed one in front of the other, as regards the Renaissance and Baroque iconography, is an image frequently used in order to symbolize loyalty and marital fidelity. The presence of the character of Cupid and the two swans suggests that the artifact may have been a wedding gift: to further support this thesis is the use - among other precious materials such as horn, landscape stone and walnut wood - of mother-of-pearl, which often represents purity, innocence and femininity, as well as fertility, longevity and prosperity.