Artemis and Friends

The central figures in this scene, an idealized nude female and a stag, may be Artemis and her sacred deer. Artemis was the Hellenic goddess of forests and hills, fertility and the hunt. Metthey depicts the frolicking figures against a heavenly background of turquoise and gold. Scenes of social and sexual abandon, under the guise of familiar mythological episodes, were internationally popular during the Jazz Age (between World War I and the Great Depression). This large tile would have set the tone in a luxurious boudoir or bath.

Marks: Three identical artist's ciphers in wax [reverse].