RARE PANORAMIC WALLPAPER FROM THE EMPIRE PERIOD: "THE STORY OF PSYCHE" BY THE DUFOUR MANUFACTURE

Rare panoramic sepia-toned wallpaper in three panels depicting "The Story of Psyche." The panels are inspired by Jean de La Fontaine's novel "The Loves of Psyche and Cupid" (1669). Psyche is a princess of such great beauty that she arouses the jealousy of Venus. The goddess orders Cupid to awaken in her a mad passion for a man of low birth. Instead, the god falls in love with her and, with the help of Zephyr, the West Wind, leads her to a palace. Every evening, Cupid visits her, forbidding her to try to discover his identity. But one night, Psyche approaches her lover, illuminating her path with an oil lamp. Cupid awakens and immediately abandons the young woman. Psyche sets out in search of her beloved and eventually arrives at Venus's palace. The goddess subjects the young girl to a series of trials which Psyche manages to overcome thanks to various divine interventions. This panoramic decoration was created from a composition by Louis Laffite (1770-1828) and Merry-Joseph Blondel (1781-1853) for the Dufour factory in 1815. The two authors of the composition were themselves inspired by François Gérard (1770-1837) and Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (1758-1823), famous painters of the Neoclassical period. The scenes are arranged as follows: - Scenes 3 and 4: "Psyche Carried Away by the Zephyrs" (Dimensions: 195 x 116 cm) - Scenes 13 and 14: "Psyche Attempting to Stab Sleeping Cupid" (Dimensions: 195 x 116 cm) - Scenes 18-20: "Psyche Bringing Venus a Vase of Water from the Fountain of Youth" (Dimensions: 195 x 170 cm). All three panels are titled and numbered. The wallpaper has been relined and is generally in good condition with some signs of tearing and dampness. Wallpaper enjoyed extraordinary popularity in the 19th century, as it was less expensive than painted wood paneling and thus became accessible to the homes of the wealthy bourgeoisie. The production of wallpaper begins with the creation of a sketch, either in the factory workshop or by an independent designer. Once the sketch is approved by the factory management, the design passes to the industrial designers who adapt it to the chosen printing method. They establish the color scheme, break down the motif accordingly, and execute, or have executed, the engraving proofs. Finally, the motif is printed; several printing techniques are possible: intaglio, woodblock printing, cylinder printing, screen printing, stenciling, and hand-painted sections. Creating our panoramic print was a technical challenge, since no motif is ever repeated from one panel to another. The entire work required several engraved woodblocks, all printed manually. The Joseph Dufour factory, which produced the model, received a silver medal for this work at the Exhibition of Products of French Industry in 1819. A version of "The Story of Psyche" in 12 panels, reissued by the Desfossé & Karth factory in 1872, is held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Bibliography: Odile Nouvel-Kammerer, "Panoramic Wallpapers", Paris, Flammarion, 1990, pp. 262-263; Online database of Decorative Arts: http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/francais/musees/musee-des-arts-decoratifs/parcours/xixe-siecle/le-beau-ideal-un-style-pour-l-empire/papier-peint-panoramique-l-histoire-de-psyche-psyche-rapportant-a-venus-un Empire Period, Circa: 1815