This broad ivory relief presents a playful interpretation of lust. Four droll putti push and tug at a goat, watched with some trepidation by a swaddled putto on the other side who is held upright by a young woman accompanied by a second putto. The entire composition radiates a sense of motion, thanks to elements such as hair streaming in an apparent breeze blowing from the right-hand side, the leaning and tugging figures that appear to be applying real force, and the fully emotive expressions of the various figures.

Gerard van Opstal (1594 of 1597, Brussels - 1668, Paris), was a Flemish baroque sculptor who was primarily active in Paris. Known for his bas-relief friezes with classic mythological themes and his skill in carving ivory reliefs, he became a master in Antwerp’s Guild of Saint Luke in 1635, and had a registered apprentice there in 1641.

Van Opstal married the daughter of the Antwerp sculptor Johannes van Mildert. When his father-in-law died, he was commissioned by the local city magistrates to complete the statue of Christ for the calvary group on Falconplein square in Antwerp. He moved to Paris sometime before 1648, likely at the invitation of Cardinal Richelieu. There, he became one of the founders of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. In 1651, Van Opstal was granted the title of sculpteur des batiments du roi (sculptor of the King’s buildings). Despite these honours, he was known to complain that he could not obtain any royal commissions, because Charles le Brun opposed him.

In 1667 he filed a lawsuit against the widow of a patron, Duchemin – the steward of Mademoiselle d’Orléans – for failing to pay for a commission dating back to 1658. The case was based on the argument that sculpture should be considered a liberal art rather than a craft, and therefore the payment regulations for the liberal arts should apply to payments for sculptures.  

Van Opstal was particularly skilled in the carving of bas-relief friezes with classic mythological themes. Aside from stone and marble, he was an expert in carving ivory reliefs, which were greatly admired by his contemporaries, and King Louis XIV had seventeen of them in his collection. His style combined elements of Roman sarcophagi, the Renaissance, the baroque styles of Peter Paul Rubens and Francois Duquesnoy and the emerging French classicist style. He was famous for his sculptures at the Porte Saint-Antoine in Paris, created in 1670 for the occasion of Louis XIV’s ten-year wedding anniversary. Van Opstal created three sculptures representing France, Spain and the god Hymen, which were placed in niches. The gate was demolished in 1778.