Casket with Figure of Morpheus

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Casket with Figure of Morpheus

ArtistWorkshop of Henry Auguste (silversmith) French, 1759-1816

Designer Jean-Guillaume Moitte (designer) French, 1746 - 1810

Dateabout 1793-1798

Dimensions8 5/8 x 12 3/4 in. (21.3 x 31.4 cm)

Mediumcast, chased, and gilded silver

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

1969.301

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 27

Collections

Decorative Arts

Published ReferencesToledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 221, repr. (col.).Exhibition HistoryNew York, Bard Center for Decorative Arts, 2001-02.

London, Dulwich Picture Gallery, 2001-02.

Label TextThe design for this sumptuous silver-gilt jewel casket was created by Jean-Guillaume Moitte, the leading sculptor at the court of Napoleon Bonaparte. It was executed by the royal goldsmith Henry Auguste and is considered today the most ambitious sculptural project by his workshop. The casket recalls a classical Roman sarcophagus with figural friezes and “feet” in the form of griffins. The hinged lid resembles an open book on top of which reclines Morpheus, the Greco-Roman god of dreams. The figure’s pose with one arm raised above the head is a visual device used by ancient sculptors to indicate sleep. Morpheus had a special responsibility for the dreams of kings and heroes, making him particularly suitable as a subject for a royal commission, which this casket may have been.