Judgement of Paris fireback - firebacks

Description

Very beautiful cast iron fireback from the 16th century with a representation of the Judgment of Paris. Placed in a Mandorla above the main scene, a winged Cupid, his bow in hand, watches the judgment given by the young shepherd-prince. Paris sitting in profile hands the apple inscribed with the words “for the fairest one” to Venus, Goddess of Love who promised him Helen. Venus accepts the apple, beside her stand Juno and Minerva recognizable by their attributes: the royal scepter and the shield. Venus and Juno stand facing Paris while Minerva shows her back, a sign of her resentment. The carving celebrates the feminine beauty of the goddesses and the powerful body of the shepherd. The scene is set is a landscape with trees and flanked by two panels adorned with laurel branches crowned with coins stamped with a profile. On either side of Cupid, a pair of Moorish heads; two scrolled acanthus leaves rise up and join together above the Mandorle.
The sophisticated decoration of this fireback presents an elegant design and strong relief.

Additional information

This fireback is similar to the one in the collection of Dr Coliez in Longwy, shown in the book by Henri Carpentier "Plaques de cheminées", 1967, Paris, t.I, p.394.