Francois Du Quesnoy 1597-1643

François du Quesnoy was one of the three major sculptors in Rome in the 17th century, with Lorenzo Bernini and Alessandro Algardi. Although the fame of most of the artists declined after their death, often to reborn a few times later, (this was the case for Bernini, who fell into disfavour, and for the Algarde, who was only recognized by a few people), du Quesnoy, nicknamed Francesco Fiammingo, kept after his death the admiration of 18th-century Classiques. 18th and 19th century inventories and auction catalogues testify of this timeless popularity of his works ; few collections don't contain at least one bronze reproduction of one of his works, more often a “putto” or a group of “putti”.

This book includes a monographic study and a catalogue raisonné of François du Quesnoy's works and of refused works ;  the difficulty lied in the authentication of the sculptor's work, a lot of them having been reproduced by other artists.