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Psyche at her Toilet (from Hill Hall, Essex)
d'Heere, Lucas, born 1529 - died 1584 - Enlarge image
Psyche at her Toilet (from Hill Hall, Essex)
- Object:
Panel
- Place of origin:
Essex (England), England (made)
- Date:
ca. 1575 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
d'Heere, Lucas, born 1529 - died 1584 (possibly, maker)
Coxie, Michiel (the elder), born 1499 - died 1592 (after, artist) - Materials and Techniques:
distemper on plaster
- Credit Line:
Given by Lord Edward Hay
- Museum number:
W.9-1938
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 58e, case WN
Object Type
This is a rare example of an English wall painting of the period. Houses owned by the gentry and merchants were often decorated with murals during the 16th and 17th centuries, mostly in imitation of wall hangings. However, few figurative paintings survive. They were not considered worth preserving and were often overpainted, or even destroyed, during subsequent redecoration.
Subjects Depicted
The painting includes an episode from the story of Cupid and Psyche. This is a famous tale in the Roman novel now called The Golden Ass, written by Lucius Apuleius in the 2nd century AD. It was first translated into English by William Arlington in 1566. The scene shows Psyche at her toilet, accompanied by her assistant.
People
Lucas de Heere, who possibly painted these scenes, was born in Ghent, Flanders (now Belgium). He had a distinguished career on the Continent, working as a painter, tapestry designer, draughtsman and poet. However, his Calvinist (or Protestant) sympathies led him to spend the years 1567-1576 in England.
Place
Hill Hall was owned by Sir Thomas Smith (1513-1577), Secretary of State to Edward VI and later to Elizabeth I. Other sections of this decorative scheme can still be seen at Hill Hall (English Heritage).
