Triton Centerpiece, Gilded Bronze And Marble Sculpture, 19th Century

Rare Mythological Triton Cup – Gilt Bronze & Marble, 19th Century
Three gilt bronze tritons, powerful half-man, half-fish figures from marine mythology, support a veined Tuscan marble cup in a solemn and sculptural gesture.
Their dynamic and expressive posture, combined with the precision of the carving, gives the piece a dramatic, almost architectural feel.
The whole resting on a round base in multiple marbles (black of Mazy, veined red) supported by three bronze 'animal claw' feet.
The tritons with double tails and bifid beards could represent hybrid marine divinities, protectors of the depths, older than Triton himself, like personifications of primordial elements of the sea, halfway between man, the sacred monster and the forgotten god.

This piece is in good condition, note some slight knocks and traces of wear on the edges of the basin.
It could very well sit in the center of a table as a presentation dish or on a desk as an inkwell or pocket emptier...

Packaging and delivery costs to be expected

• Collection: Free

• For Belgium: €30

• For France: €50

• For Europe: €70

• For the rest of the world: €200

Mythological interpretation of the tritons with double tails and bifid beards
The figures depicted here are most likely inspired by Triton, the sea god, son of Poseidon (Neptune to the Romans) and Amphitrite.
However, these figures go beyond the simple classical representation of the single triton: they possess amplified and hybridized attributes, characteristic of certain secondary mythological figures or later Baroque/Neoclassical interpretations.

Double fish tail
In mythology, sirens and certain marine genies (especially in medieval or Baroque iconography) are sometimes depicted with two tails, a symbol of absolute mastery of the aquatic element.
The double tail may also suggest a more powerful or ancestral supernatural being, an evolution of the classical triton into a sea demon or a secondary chthonic deity, capable of swimming in several directions, therefore omnipresent or omnipotent in its element.

Bifid beard (with two points)
The beard, in ancient representations, is a sign of wisdom, virility and authority.
The bifurcation can be read as a symbol of ambivalence or duality: the sea is both nurturing and destructive, calm and raging.
From a formal perspective, it also evokes tentacles or algae, reinforcing the fusion between man and the forces of the sea.