An Empire Painted And Carved Wood Bas-Relief Plaque

A rare and very beautiful Empire painted and carved wood bas-relief plaque, showing at centre the semi-nude winged figures of Cupid and Psyche who stand facing one another, each enveloped within swirling drapery and with a braid around their hair worn in ringlets, holding one another’s left hand while in their right they each hold up a flaming torch directly above a pillar mounted by a laurel leaf wreath, to the right of the lovers stands Venus in a diaphanous dress with billowing drapery around her head and sides while holding out a rose spray, below her is an antique ewer, to the far left is probably another image of Venus wearing a similar dress and set against billowing drapery, holding out a golden apple in her left hand, with an antique two handled urn at her feet, the cream coloured figures, pillar, urn and ewer set on a thin golden plinth, against a delicately painted pale blue background, the whole surrounded around the top and sides by a carved giltwood frame
France, probably Paris, date circa 1805-10
Height 60 cm, width 167 cm.
Provenance: Château de Cuarnens, Switzerland.
Since the gilded frame around the top and the sides of this elegant carved plaque does not extend to its base, we can assume that it was originally intended to be placed above a doorway or perhaps above a mantlepiece. It was almost certainly made in France during the Empire period and shows at centre the marriage of Psyche to Cupid, the mythological god of love. The couple stand either side of a pillar or altar with its laurel leaf wreath that symbolises Victory and was a common motif used in Empire ornament. The two are shown hand in hand while each holding up in their other hand flaming torches, symbols of burning passion, whose flames burn as one. To their right stands the figure of Venus, the mythological goddess of love, who holds out a rose, one of her attributes. During the Renaissance, Venus was often portrayed with a rose because of its beauty and also that the pricking of its thorns could be likened to the wounds of love. The female figure to the far left may simply be an attendant maiden, but since she holds out a golden apple, she more likely to be another representation of Venus. Like the rose, the apple was another of Venus’s attributes, alluding to the golden apple that was awarded by Paris to Venus as the winner in a beauty contest between her, Minerva and Juno. The result of that contest ultimately led to the Trojan Wars.
The story of Cupid and Psyche was told by Lucius Apuleius in the ‘Golden Ass’, 2nd century AD. According to the narrative Psyche was the youngest and most beautiful daughter of a king who had lost all hope of seeing her marry since her beauty intimidated all suitors and aroused jealousy even in Venus. Venus sent her son Cupid to persecute her, but instead he fell passionately in love. Cupid then flew with Psyche in his arms to his palace, where he visited her nightly so that she could not see who he was. However, her sisters persuaded Psyche to discover his true identity. One night she approached Cupid as he slept but hot oil from her lamp accidentally dropped onto him, and he awoke. Cupid then fled from Psyche, who in turn relentlessly searched for her lover and had to accomplish endless tasks set by Venus, which Cupid secretly helped her with. Jupiter finally took pity on her; Mercury carried her to heaven where she finally married Cupid, which is the scene that is represented here.
In its original condition, except for a light clean, the delicacy of the carved cream-coloured figures against a pale blue background can be compared to a Wedgwood or Sèvres porcelain plaque. Stylistically, it compares with the work of Piat (or Pieter) Joseph Sauvage (1774-1818), who specialised in painting decorative grisaille friezes in imitation of classical sculptures in marble, bronze or terracotta, as well as miniatures inspired by antique cameos and also bas-relief portraits, often in carved wood and other mediums. After studying in Belgium in Tournai and in Antwerp, Piat-Joseph Sauvage settled in Paris in 1744, where he established himself as one of the leading proponents of decorative trompe l’oeil painting. He received commissions from the Prince de Condé and later served as court painter to Louis XVI, becoming a member of the Académie Royale in 1783. He often returned to Flanders, where he provided paintings for the Comte d’Angivillier in 1785 and 1786. His decorations may still be seen at the Chateaux de Compiègne, where he worked in 1785, Rambouillet, painted between 1786 and 1787, and Fontainebleau, painted in 1786. Sauvage exhibited at the Paris Salons between 1781 and 1804, and between 1804 and 1807 worked as a designer for the Sèvres Porcelain Factory. In 1808 he left Paris to take up a post as a professor of drawing at the Academy in his native Tournai. Among significant works during the later part of his career are a series of paintings of the Seven Sacraments for the cathedral in Tournai. Other trompe l’oeil paintings by Sauvage include an oil on panel representing The Judgement of Paris, in the manner of the Antique (Sotheby’s 2nd February 2013), while today his work can also be seen in the museums of Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Lille and Tournai, as well as in the Hôtel de la Prefecture in La Rochelle and a number of churches in Belgium.
The plaque has an interesting history, having once graced the walls of the Swiss Château de Cuarnens in the canton of Vaud. This substantial building, which is more akin to a wealthy manor house rather than a castle, is unusual in being almost square. The present edifice dates from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries though it still retains earlier elements such as the square tower that probably dates to the sixteenth century. The château is the main house in the village of Cuarnens and bears witness to the modest lifestyle of the lords, who lived very close to the people of the land. The château is believed to have been built by the de Gingins family, who owned the lordship of Cuarnens from 1573 to 1672. It then became the property of the de Tavel family who, in 1677, sold it to the de Chandieu family, a German branch of the owners of the Château de L’Isle. It then remained in the ownership of the Chandieu family until 1804, when the château and surrounding estate was acquired by a member of the Chappuis family. From then on, and until its purchase in 1971 by another owner, the castle had a rural use. During 1972 and 1973, the new owner undertook major works with the intention of making the castle habitable all year round.