These two terracottas, which are painted black in imitation of bronzes, are characteristic examples of the work of Giuseppe Maria Mazza. Born in 1653, Mazza was the most prominent Bolognese sculptor of his day, and held unrivalled sway from the 1680's until his death in 1741. Although he was also active in Venice, Mazza worked predominantly in his native Bologna and in surrounding cities. Stucco and, above all, terracotta were his favourite media, and lend to his work an exceptional spontaneity and brio. He was often called upon to provide the framing elements for works by such friends as the painter Marcantonio Franceschini, and putti were clearly something of a speciality. For a comparable child, in that case Christ, see Riccòmini, (op. cit., fig. 268).
The iconography of the present groups is fairly straightforward: one pair of putti are shown enjoying the fruits of the vine, while the other pair, although wingless, are presumably meant to represent the combat between Eros and Anteros.