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Source Description
We often think of art as the work of just one person. In the case of this mirror, its harmonious appearance conceals the number of people involved in its creation. The designer Félix Bracquemond was commissioned by wealthy banker Baron Joseph Vitta to create decorative objects for his multiple homes. Bracquemond worked with other artists in making this mirror: well-known sculptor Auguste Rodin created the figure of Venus; artisan Alexandre Riquet fashioned the elaborate enameled decoration; and goldsmiths from Parisian jewelers Falize Frères completed the mirror and its blue translucent frame embedded with yellow, pink, and white flowers. Through close collaboration between patron, designer, and artists, this mirror represents the trend at the end of the 1800s for blending artistic specialties to create a single work of art. <br><br>The CMA’s collection includes Bracquemond’s preparatory drawings for the mirror and Rodin’s carved plaster model for the figure of Venus.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
149386
label
Hand Mirror
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
149386
contentType
object
title
Hand Mirror
description
We often think of art as the work of just one person. In the case of this mirror, its harmonious appearance conceals the number of people involved in its creation. The designer Félix Bracquemond was commissioned by wealthy banker Baron Joseph Vitta to create decorative objects for his multiple homes. Bracquemond worked with other artists in making this mirror: well-known sculptor Auguste Rodin created the figure of Venus; artisan Alexandre Riquet fashioned the elaborate enameled decoration; and goldsmiths from Parisian jewelers Falize Frères completed the mirror and its blue translucent frame embedded with yellow, pink, and white flowers. Through close collaboration between patron, designer, and artists, this mirror represents the trend at the end of the 1800s for blending artistic specialties to create a single work of art. <br><br>The CMA’s collection includes Bracquemond’s preparatory drawings for the mirror and Rodin’s carved plaster model for the figure of Venus.
date
c. 1900
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60763642
creators
5538
5925
13439
13631
genreSpecific
Miscellaneous
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 32.2 x 16.1 x 1.2 cm (12 11/16 x 6 5/16 x 1/2 in.)
cul
France
accession
1978.43
Source extras
tec
gold, enamel, and ivory
tombstone
Hand Mirror, c. 1900. Designed by Félix Bracquemond (French, 1833–1914), relief by Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917), enamel by Alexander Riquet (French), goldsmith work by Alexis Falize (French, 1811–1898). Gold, enamel, and ivory; overall: 32.2 x 16.1 x 1.2 cm (12 11/16 x 6 5/16 x 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Ralph King, by exchange, 1978.43
collection
Decorative Arts
inscriptions
inscription
cipher engraved on inside top of handle: "VITTA" (in monogram form)
inscription
Cast at bottom of relief: A Rod - -
inscription
on the plique-a-jour enamel, the date and mark of Bracquemond and "AR," the monogram for Alexandre Riquet
relatedWorks
id
166861
description
Design for a Hand Mirror, c. 1900-1902. Félix Bracquemond (French, 1833-1914). Watercolor and black ink with graphite; sheet: 18 x 13.8 cm (7 1/16 x 5 7/16 in.); framed: 62 x 45 cm (24 7/16 x 17 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund 2009.11.4
didYouKnow
The mirror’s relief of Venus may be the only example of Rodin providing an ornament for a small decorative object.
citations
citation
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain (10/26/2010 - 2/28/2011): "Jewelry by Artists, from Art Nouveau to the Avant-gardes", ex. cat. no. 177, p. 178-179.
citation
Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1978.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 66, no. 1 (January 1979): 3–48.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 42, no. 7; Reproduced: Back cover
citation
Weisberg, Gabriel P. “Baron Vitta and the Bracquemond/Rodin Hand Mirror.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 66, no. 8 (November 1979): 297–310.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 297-298, figs. 1-2
citation
Kozloff, Arielle P., and Sara Jane Pearman. “Further Reflections.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 71, no. 8 (October 1984): 276–279.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 277-279, figs. 4-5
citation
Donley, Gregory M, "A Discerning Eye", Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em>. Vol. 39 no. 05, May 1999
page_number
Mentioned & reproduced: p. 6
citation
Harrison, Stephen, Emmanuel Ducamp, Jeannine J Falino. <em>Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique.</em> Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008.
page_number
Reproduced: P. 133; Mentioned: P. 324, no. 8
creditline
Gift of Ralph King, by exchange
sketchfabId
b2a253353667465aa071f9bd1ba86cf2
updatedAt
2026-06-18 21:15:47.189000
sourceId
149386
dept
Decorative Art and Design
coll
Decorative Arts
med
gold, enamel, and ivory
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
d2c780ee17b78cb2