 |
RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
 |
|
|
RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
|
|
A superb pair of Empire gilt and silvered bronze figural candlesticks, each of herm form, with a vase-shaped socket cast with foliage and flower heads supported on three classical female heads, each wearing a veil and floral headdress above a stop-fluted tapering stem headed and ornamented with floral bands supported on three pairs of feet appearing from flowing drapery upon a spreading circular acanthus, floral and berried cast base Paris, date circa 1810 Height 33.5 cm. each. Literature: Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen”, 1986, p. 326, pls. 5.1.6 and 5.1.7, respectively illustrating a similar candlestick with three female herms circa 1810 and a design for a similar candlestick with similar fluted stem but less ornamentation, from a sheet in an album in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which served as a catalogue for the Parisian bronziers. Candlesticks with three female herm supports appeared in several variants and were typical of the Parisian style circa 1810. Some as here were inspired by classical Greco-Roman Antiquity while others, promoted by designs by Percier and Fontaine reflected the vogue for ancient Egypt. The album in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which served as a catalogue for the Parisian bronziers, did not indicate names of designers nor the bronziers themselves. The present candlesticks are among more ornate examples, their delicacy enhanced by the fact that the contrasting bronze is silvered rather than patinated. |