Empire Period Etruscan Fireplace Bar In Gilt Bronze, In The Taste Of Claude Galle

Beautiful fireplace bar or gallery fire in gilded bronze, Consulate period / Empire period, early 19th century around 1800-1805. Adorned with two young Etruscans in patinated bronze seated on antique chairs and warming themselves in the heat of the fire. The side terraces are decorated with Medici Lions, the paw on a sphere. The original models of these sculptures were placed on either side of the entrance to the Villa Medici in Rome. Each lion holds a sphere under its paw, in reference to the six balls constituting the arms of the House of Medici. Moved to Florence in 1789, copies were replaced in 1803 at the Villa Medici by Napoleon when he installed the French Academy in Rome there. This Etruscan model with seated women is reminiscent of that of the reading clock by Claude Galle (an example in the last photo) Very beautiful object in very good condition, ideal to complete a period decoration Empire. The mercury gilding is original, attenuated by exposure to the heat of the hearth. Complete and functional. Width: 115cm