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Monumental mirror sconce (one of a pair)

Peter Rahm German
1717–18
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 553
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
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)
Peter Rahm
Paul Solanier
Johann Jakob II Priester
1717–18
Cantle Plate, Steel, gold, German, Augsburg or Nuremberg
Cantle Plate
German, Augsburg or Nuremberg
ca. 1565–75
Two panels from the 'Verdures du Vatican' series, Jean Démosthène Dugourc French, Woven silk and metal thread with applied silk and chenille embroidery, French, Lyon
Two panels from the 'Verdures du Vatican' series
Designer Designed by Jean Démosthène Dugourc
Manufactory Woven by Maison Pernon et Cie.– Camille Pernon (French, 1753 – 1808)
ca. 1799
Beaker, Paul Solanier German, Gilded silver, German, Augsburg
Beaker
Paul Solanier
1689
Partisan of Wolfgang Wilhelm of Bavaria, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Steel, wood, textile, German, Bavaria
Partisan of Wolfgang Wilhelm of Bavaria, Count Palatine of the Rhine
German, Bavaria
dated 1615

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