"Chevaux Marin" (seahorse) chenet, one of a pair, c. 1745-1750
Unknown artist, Franceexpand_more
Gilt bronze, ironexpand_more
Gift of funds from the Groves Foundationexpand_more 2013.3.1
On View in Gallery 318expand_more
These andirons (firedogs) are decorated with sea-horses, which were sculpted as thoroughbred steeds, their hooves replaced with fins. The fact that sea-horses, which live in the water, are shown on fireplace equipment, refers to the ancient Greek theory that the cosmos is comprised of four, antithetical elements: fire, water, earth and air. Decorating a fireplace with sea-horses, symbols of water, would have been considered a clever juxtaposition. The concept of the four elements continued to be very much en vogue in France in the 18th century – at the same time, when science abandoned the concept, and the great chemist Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794) paved the way for the modern periodic table of elements in his Méthode de nomenclature chimique (1787).
Details
- Title
- "Chevaux Marin" (seahorse) chenet, one of a pair
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2013.3.1
- Curator Approved
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