Commode

Louis Süe|Paul Vera|Compagnie des Arts Français|André Mare

ca. 1918 · Oak, lumber-core plywood, chestnut, marble, paint, gold leaf · Modern and Contemporary Art

Both the form (by Süe and Mare) and the decoration (designed by Vera and probably applied by a specialized craftsman using a stencil) of this commode, especially its lavish gilding, recall the grandeur of the Louis XV period. The subject of its decoration is the Judgment of Paris, a story from Greek mythology. The shepherd Paris was forced to decide which goddess was the most beautiful: Juno, Minerva, or Venus. He is shown awarding the golden apple to Venus, who, as a bribe, promised him the love of any woman in the world; in choosing Helen of Troy, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, Paris began the Trojan War.

Artist

Louis Süe|Paul Vera|Compagnie des Arts Français|André Mare

Date

ca. 1918

Medium

Oak, lumber-core plywood, chestnut, marble, paint, gold leaf

Culture

French

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Purchase, Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1923