The sophisticated craftsmanship and immaculate whiteness of this small, allegorical group is reminiscent of the bisques made at the Sèvres porcelain factory. It is nonetheless a finely executed plaster cast that is typical of the refined sculpture that was prevalent under Louis XVI. The young woman, depicted petting a dog with one hand and holding a burning heart in the other, embodies Fidelity. A cupid, posed on a classical altar, runs alongside her, sealing their union with a garland of roses. The work is relatively unusual in the œuvre of Claude-André Deseine, who was mostly known for his staunchly realist busts. His portraits of Mirabeau, Marat and Robespierre (all now held at the Musée de la Révolution française in Vizille) reveal his commitment to republican ideology. However, the signature confirms that it was indeed he who created L’Amour et la Fidélité, as well as containing the words 'deaf and mute'. This disability had long been considered a sign of intellectual inferiority in France under the Ancien Régime, but this did not prevent Deseine from forging a brilliant career. The activism of Abbé de l’Épée (1712-1789), a benefactor of deaf-mutes and pioneer of sign language, most likely helped Deseine to win recognition. The sculptor also exhibited a bust of Abbé de l'Épée at the 1793 Salon, which is now displayed at the Institut national des jeunes sourds, a school for the deaf that the Abbé founded in Paris