RARE EMPIRE PERIOD PANORAMIC WALLPAPER: "L'HISTOIRE DE PSYCHE" BY THE MANUFACTURE DUFOUR

Rare sepia-toned panoramic wallpaper in three panels depicting "The story of Psyche". The paintings are inspired by Jean de La Fontaine's novel "Les amours de Psyché et Cupidon" (1669). Psyche is a princess of such great beauty that she incites Venus to jealousy. The goddess orders Cupid to arouse in her a mad passion for a man of lowly station. Instead, the god falls in love with her and, with the help of Zephyr, the West Wind, leads her to a palace. Every night, Amour comes to visit her, but tells her not to find out who he is. But one night, Psyche approaches her lover with an oil lamp. Amour wakes up and immediately abandons the girl. Psyche sets off in search of her beloved, eventually arriving at the palace of Venus. The goddess subjects the young girl to a series of trials, which Psyche overcomes thanks to various divine interventions. This panoramic décor was based on a composition by Louis Laffite (1770-1828) and Merry-Joseph Blondel (1781-1853) for the Manufacture Dufour 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: - On 3 and 4: "Psyche abducted by zephyrs" (Size: 195x116 cm) - On 13 and 14: "Psyche wanting to stab sleeping love" (Size: 195x116 cm) - On 18-20: "Psyche bringing Venus a vase of water from the fountain of youth" (Size: 195x170 cm). The 3 paintings are titled and numbered. Re-backed wallpaper, generally in good condition, with traces of tearing and dampness. Wallpaper was extraordinarily popular in the 19th century, as it was less expensive than painted woodwork and could therefore penetrate the interiors of the wealthy bourgeoisie. Wallpaper production begins with a sketch made either in the manufacturer's workshop or by a freelance designer. Once the sketch has been approved by the factory's management, the design is passed on to the industrial designers, who adapt it to the chosen printing method. They establish the color scheme, break down the motif according to it, and carry out the engraving measurements, or have them carried out. Finally, the motif is printed; several printing techniques are possible: intaglio, woodblock, cylinder, frame, stencil, hand-painted parts. Producing our panoramic was a technical challenge, since a motif is never repeated from one panel to the next. It required several engraved woodblocks, all printed by hand. The Joseph Dufour factory that produced the model was awarded a silver medal for this work at the 1819 Exposition des produits de l'industrie française. A version of "L'histoire de Psyché" in 12 tableaux, reissued by the Desfossé & Karth factory in 1872, is now in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Bibliography: Odile Nouvel-Kammerer, "Papiers Peints Panoramiques", Paris, Flammarion, 1990, pp. 262-263; Base en ligne des Arts Décoratifs: 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 Epoque Empire, Circa: 1815