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Source Description
Although Louis Jean Desprez’s design was largely inspired by tombs in southern Italy, he added sphinxes in his print <em>Tomb with Sphinx </em>due to his fascination with ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptians saw the sphinx, a half-human, half-lion mythological creature, as a protector of tombs and temples. The pair of andirons, decorative supports for a hearth’s firewood, alongside <em>Tomb with Sphinx</em>, highlight the growing interest in Egyptomania during the 1700s. Interestingly, the andirons portray ancient Greek and Roman interpretations of the sphinx. Most Europeans learned of ancient Egypt by studying Egyptomania in ancient Roman and Greek art and architecture or Egyptian antiquities brought over by the Romans.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
123529
label
Pair of Firedogs
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
123529
contentType
object
title
Pair of Firedogs
description
Although Louis Jean Desprez’s design was largely inspired by tombs in southern Italy, he added sphinxes in his print <em>Tomb with Sphinx </em>due to his fascination with ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptians saw the sphinx, a half-human, half-lion mythological creature, as a protector of tombs and temples. The pair of andirons, decorative supports for a hearth’s firewood, alongside <em>Tomb with Sphinx</em>, highlight the growing interest in Egyptomania during the 1700s. Interestingly, the andirons portray ancient Greek and Roman interpretations of the sphinx. Most Europeans learned of ancient Egypt by studying Egyptomania in ancient Roman and Greek art and architecture or Egyptian antiquities brought over by the Romans.
date
c. 1785
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60761035
genreSpecific
Furniture and woodwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 50.3 x 46.3 x 14 cm (19 13/16 x 18 1/4 x 5 1/2 in.)
cul
France, 18th century
accession
1944.126
Source extras
tec
gilt bronze
tombstone
Pair of Firedogs, c. 1785. France, 18th century. Gilt bronze; overall: 50.3 x 46.3 x 14 cm (19 13/16 x 18 1/4 x 5 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Collection, 1944.126
collection
Furniture
citations
citation
<em>Catalogue of the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss collection : bequest of Elisabeth Severance Prentiss, 1944.</em> [Cleveland]: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1944. Published as: Pair of Firedogs, chenets.
page_number
Reproduced & Mention: p.61, fig.42
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 157
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 157
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 189
creditline
The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Collection
galleryDonorText
M. Roger and Anne Clapp Gallery
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:21:20.384000
sourceId
123529
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Furniture
med
gilt bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
eb8ba016823972c7