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Object Timeline

1931

  • We acquired this object.

2012

2014

2025

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Overdoor, La Toilette d'Esther

This is a overdoor. It was after Jean-Francois de Troy. It is dated 1825 and we acquired it in 1931. Its medium is block printed on handmade paper. It is a part of the Wallcoverings department.

Will the real Esther please stand up?

This firescreen or overdoor is based on the 1738 painting La Toilette d'Esther by Jean-François de Troy (French, 1679-1752). This wallpaper is an almost exact replication of the original oil painting by de Troy. The manufacturer has used about 40 printed colors to capture the lushness of the original painting with all its luxurious textiles. Each printed color required about 5 different shades to create this sense of depth. As this is a wood block print, each different color required a separate hand-carved woodblock. This is an exquisite printing, as witnessed by the on-register printing of a great number of colors, the masterful blending of all these colors that create this wonderful sense of depth, and the printer’s ability to capture the ambience and all-around grandeur of the scene.

Firescreens were used to cover the empty fireplace in the summer months creating a nice decorative cover to an otherwise unsightly hole in the wall. It was also popular at this time to use decorative panels over doors, filling that void between the top of the door frame and the high ceiling. These panels appeared in infinite variety and were designed like little scenic wallpapers in that they frequently contained landscape views and had no repeat. Still life vignettes were another popular genre with many containing lavish spreads of fruits, wines, and cheese.

This firescreen, and the painting by Jean-François de Troy, depicts a scene from the scriptural Book of Esther, when Esther prepared to meet King Ahasuerus, ruler of Persia, who subsequently took her as his wife. The painting is in the Musée du Louvre and has been described as one of the Museum's most famous.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Will the real Esther please stand up?.

This object was donated by Eleanor Garnier Hewitt and Sarah Cooper Hewitt. It is credited Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt.

  • Fire Screen
  • label: hand-colored, engraved paper leaf; wooden stick.
  • Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt.
  • 1924-15-212
  •

Our curators have highlighted 2 objects that are related to this one.

Its dimensions are

82.5 x 112 cm (32 1/2 x 44 1/8 in.)

Cite this object as

Overdoor, La Toilette d'Esther; After Jean-François de Troy (French, 1679–1752); France; block printed on handmade paper; 82.5 x 112 cm (32 1/2 x 44 1/8 in.); Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt; 1931-45-1

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Hewitt Sisters Collect.

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18319133/ |title=Overdoor, La Toilette d'Esther |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=19 March 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>