A pair of small bronzes with a dark patina depicting two rec - Lot 70

A pair of small bronzes with a dark patina depicting two reclining children: one leaning on his right arm and playing with a doll, the other crying, lying on a drape with a sling around his neck, holding a broken bow in his left hand, which is surely the cause of his sadness. Netherlands, attributed to Hendrick de Keyser (1565–1621), circa 1600/1620 H. 9 and 8.9 cm – W. 14 and 14.5 cm On oval blackened wooden bases (very slight casting defects) Hendrick de Keyser’s bronze work is primarily associated with his role as Amsterdam’s official sculptor. He mainly created funerary monuments and decorative elements in which bronze was used for statues, effigies, or ornaments. Beyond this monumental context, he is also known for creating busts of children with faces marked by deep sorrow, as seen at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (inv. M.84.37, fig. a) or at the Rijksmuseum (Inv. BK-2007-24, fig. b); the little boy weeping over his broken bow belongs to the same vein.