id: 149386 accession number: 1978.43 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1978.43 updated: 2023-03-11 20:51:10.051000 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 title: Hand Mirror title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. 1900 creation date earliest: 1895 creation date latest: 1905 current location: ArtLens Exhibition A creditline: Gift of Ralph King, by exchange copyright: --- culture: France technique: gold, enamel, and ivory department: Decorative Art and Design collection: Decorative Arts type: Miscellaneous find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS * Félix Bracquemond (French, 1833–1914) - designer * Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) - sculptor * Alexander Riquet (French) - enamelist * Alexis Falize (French, 1811–1898) - goldsmith --- measurements: Overall: 32.2 x 16.1 x 1.2 cm (12 11/16 x 6 5/16 x 1/2 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: inscription: cipher engraved on inside top of handle: "VITTA" (in monogram form) translation: remark: inscription: Cast at bottom of relief: A Rod - - translation: remark: inscription: on the plique-a-jour enamel, the date and mark of Bracquemond and "AR," the monogram for Alexandre Riquet translation: remark: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Year in Review: 1978 opening date: 1979-02-13T05:00:00 Year in Review: 1978. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 13-March 18, 1979). title: Art Nouveau in France opening date: 1979-03-01T05:00:00 Art Nouveau in France. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 1-September 1, 1979). title: Mirrors: Art and Symbol opening date: 1984-07-03T04:00:00 Mirrors: Art and Symbol. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 3-November 18, 1984). title: Art Nouveau in France opening date: 1988-07-12T04:00:00 Art Nouveau in France. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 12-November 27, 1988). title: Félix Bracquemond (1833-1914) et les Arts Décoratifs Du Japonisme à l'Art Nouveau opening date: 2005-04-05T00:00:00 Félix Bracquemond (1833-1914) et les Arts Décoratifs Du Japonisme à l'Art Nouveau. Musée Adrien Dubouché, Limoges, France (April 5-June 27, 2005). title: Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique opening date: 2008-10-19T04:00:00 Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique . The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 19, 2008-January 18, 2009); Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (February 7-May 31, 2009). title: Jewelry by Artists, from Art Nouveau to the Avant-gardes opening date: 2010-10-26T00:00:00 Jewelry by Artists, from Art Nouveau to the Avant-gardes. Museu Nacional d' Art de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain (organizer) (October 26, 2010-February 28, 2011). title: Artlens Exhibition 2019 opening date: 2019-06-11T04:00:00 Artlens Exhibition 2019. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE Commissioned by Baron J. Vitta, by descent to his heirs date: footnotes: citations: Heirs of Baron J. Vitta date: footnotes: citations: [Cyril Humphris, Ltd., Ferrers Gallery, London, England] date: -July 1978 footnotes: citations: Ralph King [1855-1926] Cleveland Heights, OH, given by exchange to the Cleveland Museum of Art date: footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1978- footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: The mirror’s relief of Venus may be the only example of Rodin providing an ornament for a small decorative object. digital 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.

The CMA’s collection includes Bracquemond’s preparatory drawings for the mirror and Rodin’s carved plaster model for the figure of Venus. wall description: --- RELATED WORKS id: 166861 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 relationship: --- CITATIONS 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. page number: url: Donley, Gregory M, "A Discerning Eye", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 39 no. 05, May 1999 page number: Mentioned & reproduced: p. 6 url: https://archive.org/details/CMAMM1999-05/page/n5 Harrison, Stephen, Emmanuel Ducamp, Jeannine J Falino. Artistic Luxury: Fabergé Tiffany Lalique. 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 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1978.43/1978.43_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1978.43/1978.43_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1978.43/1978.43_full.tif