Gilt Bronze And Hardstone Centerpiece. Rome, Napoleon III.

Stunning Neoclassical centerpiece in fire-gilt bronze with lapis base, breccia medicea shaft, and crystalline alabaster bowl. Rome, probable Napoleon III period (second half of the 19th century).

Important Neoclassical centerpiece composed of a refined architectural structure with composite elements: the upper part features a large white crystalline alabaster bowl, supported by three male figures in fire-gilt bronze, inspired by classical Roman models, in an Atlantean pose.

The central shaft, with fluted form, is made of breccia medicea, a prestigious decorative stone used since the Renaissance for luxury furnishings and aristocratic commissions. The base is made of richly veined lapis lazuli, resting on a molded gilt bronze plinth with an elegant gadrooned border.

The composition, with its refined sculptural and chromatic balance, follows the model of a famous centerpiece attributed to Luigi Valadier, master of bronze and Roman taste in the 18th century, here reinterpreted in the 19th-century Napoleon III style. The alabaster bowl, in terms of workmanship and shape, appears to be older than the rest of the piece and was likely repurposed from a late 18th-century object.

A piece of great scenographic and decorative impact, ideal as a centerpiece or console element in classical or museum contexts.

Excellent condition, with well-preserved original bronze patina, slight age-related wear to the stone, and no structural losses.