Cupid Riding a Dolphin Niccolo Tribolo (follower of)

The marble sculpture of Cupid riding a dolphin is a characteristic work of the Florentine late Renaissance. The work originating from the Villa Careggi, may once have been a fountain statue, with the open mouth of the dolphin serving as a spout. In view of the quiver on his shoulder, the laughing child with curly hair can be identified as Cupid, the god of love in antiquity. He is about to produce an arrow with which to pierce the heart of his next victim. The statue’s author may well have been a follower of Niccolò Tribolo, as the work shows an affinity with Tribolo’s works in Florence, namely his putti for the Fountain of Hercules at the Villa di Castello and for the Monkey Fountain in the Boboli Gardens.