Allegorical subject
Overdoors (dessus-de-porte) were an integral decorative feature of the luxurious eighteenth-century French interior. It was customary to place decorative paintings in the space between the top of the door frame and the ceiling which were framed by carved wooden decoration that would match the rest of the paneling in the room. This large overdoor frames an allegorical subject, most likely a depiction of a scantily dressed Venus, the Goddess of Beauty, reclining on a cloud, and Cupid, the youthful and winged God of Love, holding one finger to his lip and carrying a thunderbolt in the other hand. Garlands of flowers, including roses, symbol of Venus, are suspended from pink ribbons in the painting and carved in the wooden frame. A trompe l’oeil pedestal with a faux bas relief depicting playing putti, seems to be supporting the cloud.
This overdoor was part of the model collection of woodwork, paneling, and seat furniture of Maison Leys, a successful decorating business, located at the Place de la Madeleine in Paris. Since 1885 the business was directed by Georges Hoentschel who installed the collection in 1903 in a museum-like display at Boulevard Flandrin, Paris. Three years later, Hoentschel sold the collection to J. Pierpont Morgan who gave the overdoor with the rest of the decorator’s seventeenth and eighteenth-century objects to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1907.
This overdoor was part of the model collection of woodwork, paneling, and seat furniture of Maison Leys, a successful decorating business, located at the Place de la Madeleine in Paris. Since 1885 the business was directed by Georges Hoentschel who installed the collection in 1903 in a museum-like display at Boulevard Flandrin, Paris. Three years later, Hoentschel sold the collection to J. Pierpont Morgan who gave the overdoor with the rest of the decorator’s seventeenth and eighteenth-century objects to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1907.
Artwork Details
- Title: Allegorical subject
- Artist: French Painter , first quarter 18th century
- Date: early 18th century
- Culture: French
- Medium: Oil on canvas; oak enframement
- Dimensions: Overall (enframement, confirmed): 46 5/8 × 63 × 4 3/4 in. (118.4 × 160 × 12.1 cm);
Overall (canvas, irregular confirmed): 33 3/4 × 52 1/2 in. (85.7 × 133.4 cm) - Classification: Paintings-Decorative
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1906
- Object Number: 07.225.157a, b
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.