Paul Étienne SAÏN (1904–1995). The Spider’s Web. Green lacquered panel with gold leaf, signed lower left with his motto “Materiam superabat opus.” Height: 115 cm - Width: 135 cm Note: “Materiam superabat opus” is a Latin quotation from Ovid’s *Metamorphoses* (Book II, regarding the Palace of the Sun built by Vulcan) that can be translated as “The work surpassed the material.” Paul-Étienne Saïn, a trained sculptor and student of Paul Landowski, became a leading French lacquer artist of the Art Deco period, creating major wall panels and screens adorned with gold or silver leaf and collaborating with renowned interior designers such as Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, Eugène Printz, Jacques Adnet, and Jules Leleu. He also contributed to the design of the interiors for the ocean liner Normandie.