Two pairs of plates with multicolored, enameled decorations of mythological scenes. They depict the myths of Venus and Adonis as well as Diana and Acteon. Adonis, a handsome young man, is shown here as a hunter in the company of Venus. The goddess has fallen in love with Adonis after being accidentally hit by Cupid’s arrow. On one of the plates, the lovers are shown in the forest where Adonis goes hunting. A dog lies at their feet, a symbol of love and fidelity. The young man dies while hunting, killed by a wild boar. On the second plate, Venus arrives in her celestial chariot pulled by doves and discovers Adonis’ dead body. Cupid is crying next to Adonis. The second pair of plates represents the story of Aceton, a skillful hunter who stumbles across Diana during her bath. In the first scene, Diana is by a river, accompanied by the nymph Calisto, who is playing with a dog.
In the second scene, Aceton surprises the young women bathing. To punish him, the goddess transforms him into a deer. The moment when Aceton sees Diana in the river and the beginning of his transformation into a deer are represented in the same image. Both pairs are marked 1568 and I. C. Samson Manufactory in Paris.
Circa :1850
Dim: W: 3,7 in – D: ,8in – H: 6,9in.
Dim: L:9,5cm, P:2cm, H:17,5cm.
