Firedog
Unknown Artist
c. 1785
Medium
gilt bronze
Dimensions
50.3 × 46.3 × 14 cm
Classification
Furniture and woodwork
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Collection
Accession Number
1944.126.1
About this artwork
Although Louis Jean Desprez’s design was largely inspired by tombs in southern Italy, he added sphinxes in his print Tomb with Sphinx due to his fascination with ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptians saw the sphinx, a half-human, half-lion mythological creature, as a protector of tombs and temples. The pair of andirons, decorative supports for a hearth’s firewood, alongside Tomb with Sphinx, highlight the growing interest in Egyptomania during the 1700s. Interestingly, the andirons portray ancient Gr...