Pair of Neoclassical Candelabra in Gilt and Patinated Bronze, Empire Period

This pair of neoclassical candelabra rises from a patinated bronze shaft in the form of a classically draped female figure, supporting a gilt bronze three-branch candle arm animated by foliate scrolls and crowned with a flame-topped torch. The reeded, urn-shaped nozzles, the restrained drapery, and the figure's hieratic bearing reflect the neoclassical taste for antique models drawn from the Pompeian repertoire.
The shafts stand on cylindrical black marble socles, enhanced by a gilt bronze ring and plinth decorated with an openwork palmette motif, the whole raised on a square black marble base.
This taste for antiquity, born in France under the First Empire, spread rapidly across Europe at the turn of the 19th century. Sweden was no exception: from 1810 onward, the arrival on the throne of the French marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte — the future King Charles XIV John — encouraged the Swedish court and aristocracy to adopt the Empire style, giving rise to a local variant known as the Karl Johan style, which persisted until the mid-century. This context explains the wide diffusion of neoclassical models of this type across Northern Europe in the early 19th century.

Technique:
Chased bronze with double patina: brown-black patinated bronze for the figurative shafts, mercury-gilt bronze for the candle arms, nozzles, torches, ring, and base ornaments. Cylindrical socles and bases in black marble.

Dimensions:
Height: 19 ¾ in (50 cm)

Condition:
Very good condition. The candelabra are presented in their period patina, with light wear from use that adds to their charm and authenticity.