Cheval glass (psyché)
Unknown Artist
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.
Credit: Fletcher Fund, 1924
c. 1810-14
Amboyna veneered on oak; gilt-bronze mounts; glass
218.4 x 123.5 cm
24.230
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019
Where you'll find this
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection
