A PAIR OF CARVED STONE GROUPS OF ALLEGORICAL FIGURES

Such groups of standing allegorical figures were extremely popular in the Netherlands in the 17th and 18th centuries. Judging by their scale and subject matter these figures were almost certainly conceived as part of a large sculptural decorative programme for a garden. The figure holding a seal and accompanied by a dog may represent Fidelity or Faith, and therefore the accompanying figure would likely personify Charity or Hope, although the attributes of the latter are not among the standard attributes used at the time.

An example of a similar set of allegorical figures in terracotta, that were attributed to Baurscheit's son, Jan Pieter van Baurscheit II (1699-1768), were offered for sale at Sotheby's London, 6 December 2011, lot 79.