Getty Museum

Pair of Andirons in the Form of a Female and a Male Herm

Date

about 1540–1545

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Italian

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

Sitting only inches from blazing flames in a well-furnished fireplace, these elegant sculptural figures formed the fronts of a pair of andirons that held logs in a hearth; the log supports were later removed. The fantastic composite figures, decorative strapwork, and salamanders (an emblem of François I, king of France) atop both urns suggest that the sculptures were designed for the king's château at Fontainebleau. The two nude figures may have been meant to represent opposed qualities: the female nymph is a symbol of water and earth, while the male satyr symbolizes fire and air. The fully modeled figures stand in contrapposto poses, turning slightly towards each other. These fantastic creatures grow out of acanthus leaves; their feet are talons that rest on a base made of grotesque heads. Above their heads, each figure holds an oval vase decorated with rams' skulls and elegantly knotted cloth swags. The vases in turn support salamanders that twist and playfully grasp the streaming ribbons.

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