The three women belong to the circle around the Roman goddess of love, Venus. And with Cupid at the feet of the three beauties, the motif of love is made especially clear in this composition. Thorvaldsen modelled the group in Rome in 1817-19. This small version measures no more than 33 cm – in contrast to the 171 cm of the original model. And it is made in biscuit, i.e. hard-fired, unglazed porcelain. The Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Copenhagen produced figures in biscuit from 1771, and from 1838 a number of works by Thorvaldsen were included in the selection on offer from the manufactory. The Graces and Cupid Playing the Lyre was copied in 1854. On one occasion, on 6 January 1844, Thorvaldsen himself visited the Royal Porcelain Manufactory’s shop in Købmagergade in Copenhagen.
