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Cheval glass (psyché)

ca. 1810–14
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 553
The psyché was so named for the heroine in La Fontaine's Les amours de Psyché, who was reputed to have looked at a full-length reflection of herself. Specific reference to the myth is in the frieze containing butterflies, symbols of Psyche. An identical gilt-bronze frieze was on a psyché made for Empress Marie-Louise in 1810. The two winged fantastic creatures on the crest hold a wreath, which probably originally contained a decorative motif or monogram.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cheval glass (psyché)
  • Maker: Attributed to François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter (French, 1770–1841)
  • Date: ca. 1810–14
  • Culture: French, Paris
  • Medium: Amboyna veneered on oak; gilt-bronze mounts; glass
  • Dimensions: Overall: 86 x 48 5/8 x 31 5/8 in. (218.4 x 123.5 x 80.3 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1924
  • Object Number: 24.230
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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Daybed (lit de repos), François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter French, Mahogany and mahogany veneered on beechwood; gilt bronze, bronze, lampas, French, Paris
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Cabinet (commode à vantaux), François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter French, Oak, thuya wood veneer; gilt-bronze mounts; marble top, French
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Jewish Woman of Algiers, Charles-Henri-Joseph Cordier French, Algerian onyx-marble, bronze, gilt bronze, enamel, and amethyst eyes; white marble socle, French, Paris
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Cabinet, Jean Brandely French, Oak veneered with cedar, walnut, ebony and ivory; silvered-bronze mounts, French, Paris
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Bookstand, Charles-Auguste Questel, Ebony, ebony veneer, ebonized maple, oak, maple, rosewood, snakewood, ivory, mother-of-pearl; brass hardware and mounts; lined with silk velvet not original to the piece, French, Paris
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Multiple artists/makers
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