ticketsMember | Make a donation

Monumental mirror sconce (one of a pair)

Peter Rahm German
1717–18
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 551
Once part of Augustus the Strong’s substantial silver-gilt furniture ensemble at Dresden Palace, these monumental reflective wall-lights embodied the power, wealth, and magnificence of their patron, who was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. During his grand tour of Europe, in 1687, Augustus visited Versailles, where he admired the already-legendary silver furniture of the Sun King shortly before Louis XIV had it melted down. After ascending the throne in 1694, Augustus emulated the French monarch’s solar symbolism, including, as here, the powerful and energetic design referencing the sun god Apollo. This allusion would have been especially pronounced when the sconces were in use because the mirrors intensified the flickering golden light of the candle flames.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Monumental mirror sconce (one of a pair)
  • Maker: Peter Rahm (German, 1661–1737)
  • Maker: Paul Solanier (German, 1635–1724)
  • Maker: Johann Jakob II Priester (German, 1676–1762)
  • Date: 1717–18
  • Culture: German, Augsburg
  • Medium: Silver, embossed, chiseled, engraved and gilded; mirror glass (19th century replacement); wood frame
  • Dimensions: .1 confirmed: 39 3/4 × 26 7/8 × 15 in. (101 × 68.3 × 38.1 cm)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Silver
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Acquisitions Fund, in memory of Anna-Maria Kellen, and in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary, 2018
  • Object Number: 2018.88.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Monumental mirror sconce (one of a pair), Peter Rahm German, Silver, embossed, chiseled, engraved and gilded; mirror glass (19th century replacement); wood frame, German, Augsburg
Monumental mirror sconce (one of a pair)
Multiple artists/makers
1717–18
Mirror, Johann Valentin Gevers German, Oak and pine veneered with tortoiseshell, silver, silver gilt, and green-stained ivory; mirror glass, German, Augsburg
Mirror
Johann Valentin Gevers
Johann Andreas Thelot
ca. 1710
Toilet set in original leather case, Fourteen identified German (Augsburg) goldsmiths and other German artisans; Japanese (Imari) porcelain maker, Gilt silver, hard-paste porcelain, cut glass, walnut, carved and partially gilt coniferous wood, blind-tooled and partially gilt leather, partially gilt steel and iron, textiles, moiré paper, hog's bristle, German, Augsburg
Toilet set in original leather case
Fourteen identified German (Augsburg) goldsmiths and other German artisans; Japanese (Imari) porcelain maker
ca. 1743–45
Diana and the Stag, Joachim Friess, Partially gilded silver, enamel, jewels (case); iron, wood (movement), German, Augsburg
Diana and the Stag
Joachim Friess
ca. 1620
Rosewater ewer, Johann Erhard Heiglen German, Silver gilt, German, Augsburg
Rosewater ewer
Johann Erhard Heiglen
ca. 1730

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

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.