Imposing Pair Of Empire French Candelabra With Winged Victory

Magnificent pair of chiseled, gilt and patinated bronze Empire French candelabra with winged Victory on a morello cherry marble base. The refined design reminds us of similar remarkable models by Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843).

These five light Empire French candelabra have the shape of figures of a winged Victory draped in the antique style. Her arms are raised holding a quiver of arrows from which sprouts a bouquet of five arms of light. Each arm of light has a decoration of leafy windings and palmettes. The impressive size of the sculpture of the winged Victory, almost half the total size of the candelabra, and her elegant appearance are typical for the style of Thomire. Therefore they are the first things to catch the eye.

On her head she is wearing a gilt bronze laurel wreath. The symbol of the laurel wreath traces back to Greek mythology. For instance Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head, and wreaths were awarded to victors in athletic competitions. Also in Rome they were symbols of martial victory, crowning a successful commander during his triumph. Generally it refers to victory.

The Victory, she is standing on a half-sphere placed on a cubic base in morello cherry marble. The front side of this marble base has a decoration of a circular ormolu laurel wreath wrapped with an ormolu ribbon.

This pair of Empire French Candelabra is in a very good condition.

Comparative literature: H. Ottomeyer, P. Proschel et al., " Vergoldete Bronzen ", Munich, 1986, Vol. I, p. 328-335, 392.

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