Pair Of Gilt Bronze Incense Burners, Empire Period

Pair of richly chased and gilded bronze perfume burners in matte and burnished gold from the Empire period. Each perfume burner, forming an Athenian figure decorated with winged caryatids with bare breasts, holds a circular receptacle with a lid pierced with palmettes. It is adorned with a floral bud and foliage forming a handle. The antique-style vase, decorated with gadroons and water leaves, rests on a central fluted stem with foliage. The lower tripod section terminates in goat's feet. The whole rests on a circular base embellished with a wide frieze of scrolls, palmettes, and floral wreaths. The work is in very good condition, with its original gilding, and dates from the early 19th century, drawing its inspiration from "Collection of Interior Decorations" by Charles Percier and Pierre François-Léonard Fontaine (Plate 58 of Book III), which depicts the wife of General Moreau (1763-1813) with three caryatids with bare breasts.