"Michelangelo" on View at the Consulat Général de France in New York City

Replica statue of Michelangelo's Cupid at the Consulat Général de France

At the suggestion of a friend, we stopped by the landmark Harry Payne Whitney Mansion, now the Consulat Général de France, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan the other day to see a so-called marble sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). Unfortunately, the fragmentary statue in the lobby turned out to be a mere copy. The original, we learned from the doorman, is the Cupid by Michelangelo currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Gallery 503). It turns out the masterpiece was loaned to the museum by the French Embassy back in 2009. Originally on loan for ten years, the agreement was extended in 2019, so it will remain on view at the Met until 2029.