Two versions of this head, both signed and dated in identical fashion, are known. The other, in a private collection, differs from the present example in having a broken nose, perhaps intended to counterfeit an antique marble, and in not having the irises indicated. Although both busts are dated 1775, no corresponding piece is listed in the livret for the Salon of that year. Rather, the invention appears to correspond with the first of two busts listed under no. 284 in the livret for the Salon of 1771: 'Deux têtes de jeunes hommes, l'une couronnée de myrte, l'autre ceinte d'un ruban. De ronde-bosse et de grandeur naturelle.' It may be that these were made of plaster or terracotta and that the marbles were carved later. One was no. 73 in Houdon's Studio sale of 1795 ('Une tête d'Amour. Il est coiffé en cheveux naturellement bouclés et couronné de branches de myrte, posé sur piédouche et socle de même matière. H. totale: 19 pouces.), while the other was no. 59 in the vente après décès in 1828 ('Marbre blanc. Buste de jeune homme couronné de myrte'). Houdon's original model probably dates from his Roman period or shortly after, and was presumably called Cupid on account of the association of myrtle with Venus. Certainly the almost archaeological classicism of the conception is arrestingly unlike the very different approach of the mature Houdon, but the quality of the carving reveals the sculptor's early mastery of his art.