This one took some thinking about.
Primarily because I wasn’t sure what the beast was. elephant? lion? dog? bear? mythical creature?

After research I’m now 90% sure that the beast we see depicted is a Panther.

Why? Well primarily because I found a figurative sculpture by Victor Paillard which was strikingly similar.
Which sent me right down the 🐰 🕳️

I believe that the panther depicted is the pet kitty cat of Dionysus, who delighted in a spot of panther rodeo. And who wouldn’t given the chance?

This theme is also depicted in a statue by Gaspard Marsy (1624-1681) and Balthazar Marsy (1628-1674) in a pool at Versailles.

Dionysus is the Greek god of god of wine-making, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. My kinda guy.

Trouble is he regularly gets himself too sozzled to drive his panther home. Alas…

In mythology the panther represents the overcoming of earthly desires.  It was said that after feasting, the panther would sleep in a cave for three days. After this period ends, the panther roars/belches, in the process emitting a sweet smell of allspice, (a metaphor for Christ’s resurrection). This odor draws in any creatures who smell it and they are eaten by the panther & the cycle begins again. The exception to this is the dragon (a metaphor for the devil). Who is not drawn in by the panther’s odiferous exhalations.

So my denouement is that depicted are two cherubs charged with taming or appeasing Dionysus’ irritated pet panther such that he might then ride it home safely after his big night out on the lash.