Pair of Andirons

Designed and used as the front of an andiron (the metal support that holds burning wood), this piece and its pair, 1918.6.02, are works of art in their own right. The sculptural groups represent famous abductions in which Zeus, king of the gods, assumes the form of an eagle. This andiron depicts the god taking the nymph Aegina, and the companion piece shows him carrying off the beautiful Greek youth Ganymede. These andirons may have furnished the Château de Lunéville in Lorraine in northeastern France. An identical group with Aegina appears on the top of a clock made in 1713 for Élisabeth-Charlotte d’Orléans, Duchess of Lorraine (now in a private collection).

Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.