Impressive Pair Of Patinated Bronze Jugs (1870-1880)

These refined Renaissance-style jugs are a typical example of Historicism, an artistic movement in the second half of the 19th century that idealized past styles.

Historicism was closely linked to a growing historical consciousness during Romanticism, a period in which many artists, writers, designers, and architects began to oppose the rationalism of the Enlightenment. The design of these jugs is inspired by the Ewer of Emperor Charles V, made around 1558 in Antwerp by Peter de Weent (1498–1564). The original jug is part of the permanent collection of the Louvre in Paris. These water jugs have a flared foot and an ovoid body in the shape of a female bust, whose crown forms the neck and spout. The handles consist of a pair of serpents resting on a faun seated on the shoulder of the vase. The shoulder and foot are richly decorated with friezes depicting trophies and garlands of fruit in bas-relief. The belly of the vase is decorated with scenes depicting the victorious army of Emperor Charles V.