Histoire de Psyché" wallpaper after Joseph Dufour, early 20th century

Strips of wallpaper glued to wood panels, on continuous paper produced by the DESFOSSE & KARTH factory in Paris in the early 20th century. This is a re-edition of Joseph DUFOUR's famous grisaille panorama "L'histoire de Psyché", produced on 26 strips of paper in 1815 from cartoons by Blondel and Laffite.
These strips were printed in grisaille using 1,245 plates.

Each panel presented here is composed of two strips.
The first presents strips 1 and 2: "Psyche's parents consulting Apollo's oracle"; revered but unloved, Psyche, despite her beauty, sees no match for her. It's Venus' will that makes her jealous. Psyche's father, a king, is worried by this misfortune, which only befalls the most beautiful of his daughters. He suspects that this is an effect of the gods' wrath. So he goes to consult Apollo's oracle in Miletus, and receives an ominous reply. We see him here, accompanied by his daughter and wife, in front of a temple housing a statue of the god Apollo, recognizable by his characteristic bowed headdress and lyre. Love is discreetly present behind the wall on the right. The scene takes place in an antique setting (temple with pediment, cornice with statue of the archer god, ornaments with putti and mascaron motifs, marble).

The second presents Lés 3 and 4: "Psyché abducted by the Zephyrs". Psyché is presented in a languid pause, carried away in a cloud by cherubs. This pause is reminiscent of that in Prud'hon's painting "L'enlèvement de Psyché" (The Abduction of Psyche), presented at the 1808-1814 Salon and now in the Louvre, which undoubtedly served as inspiration for the authors. The scene is embellished with two doves circling Psyche, while below, Love sails on turbulent waves. In the background, we can see an antiquisite architecture.

https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010060092


-In good condition, canvas-backed and glued to plywood panels, with small tears and pitting on the first panel (see photos).

-Dimensions: Height: 186 cm Width: 110.5 cm and Height: 183 cm Width: 109.5 cm
-Panel dimensions: Height: 190 cm Width: 117 cm Thickness: 1.5 cm

Bibliography :

Catalog "Papiers peints panoramiques" dedicated in 1991 by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris page 262

Ref: ZQYFPCE40W