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A fine pair of Empire period Russian gilt and patinated bronze candlesticks, each with a lotus and palmette cast nozzle and circular gadrooned drip-pan, above maiden’s masks heading the faceted tapering stem above paw feet resting on a sphere and a circular spreading foot cast with a lotus-flower and palmette band
Russian, probably Moscow, date circa 1810-20
Height 32.5 cm. each.
Literature: Arcadi Gaydamak, “Russian Empire, Architecture, Decorative and Applied Arts, Interior Decoration 1800-1830”, 2000, p. 221, illustrating a very similar candlestick in the State History Museum, Moscow.
These candlesticks belong to a relatively unknown group of decorative objects, which traditionally have been associated with the Moscow bronze manufacturers (see I. Sychev, “The Russian Chandeliers 1760-1830”, 2003, pp. 189-192, pls. 968-969, for comparison). An identical pair of candlesticks can be found at Arkhangelskoye near Moscow, in the Prince’s Study or Third Corner Room, which was decorated between 1810 and 1820 with a suite of gilt bronze mounted Karelian birch furniture (V. Rapoport, “Arkhangelskoye”, 1984, pl. 49). The comparable example in the State History Museum, Moscow is of almost identical design but has differing decoration to the mask heads.
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