A Greek myth tells how Leda, the wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, was loved by Jupiter. He came to her by the river in the guise of a swan and lay with her. As a result of their 'union' she laid one or perhaps two eggs - accounts vary - from which were hatched the heavenly twins Castor and Pollux.
This group is an adaptation of the model of Leda and the Swan which Etienne-Maurice Falconnet (1716-1791), made for the Sévres factory in 1753 and which was produced in biscuit.