G129
A late 18th century, Neo Classical chimneypiece in white statuary and richly coloured Sienna marbles. The moulded shelf with palm leaves and dentil mouldings. The frieze is centred with a bass relief sculpted with a reclining Hebe, the cupbearer of the gods feeding an eagle. History and poetry recall that Jupiter the king of the gods took this form in order to return to earth and abduct Ganymede the Trojan Prince and the most handsome of mortals, he was later to serve as an immortal cupbearer of the Gods. This was recounted in Homer’s epic the ‘Iliad’. The eagle, keen sighted suggests a contrast between Homer’s physical blindness and the power of his poetic vision, Homer was venerated in the 18th century as the supreme genius of the ancient world.
External Height 58 1/4 in (148cm) Width 78 in (198cm)
Internal Height 41 1/2 in (105.5cm) Width 46 1/2 in (118cm)
Depth 7 1/2 in (19cm)
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