Pair Of Candelabra With Swans And Winged Women, Directoire Period

Exceptional pair of urn-shaped candelabra with four light arms. Each candelabra is decorated with an urn with handles in the shape of winged women and a sheathed body ending in palmettes. The urns are decorated with figures of Love holding in their hands a crown of roses and a torch, symbols of fidelity. These urns are surmounted by two leaning swans supporting four light arms whose palmette-patterned sockets are openwork. The candelabra rest on a rectangular base in marble called "sea green" decorated with finely chiseled gilded bronze figures representing Fame and Victory. This pair of candelabra is representative of the Directoire style. Indeed, through the influence of the archaeological excavations carried out in Pompeii, the arts were enriched with a new decorative vocabulary. Thus, we see the appearance of motifs such as the swan or ancient figures. This new decorative repertoire will be taken up again under the First Empire where the swan will become one of the emblems of the Empress Josephine. Circa 1790-1800.

LEARN MORE