Pair of candlesticks. Swedish or Russian school, Directory period, circa 1800.

Pair of candlesticks. Swedish or Russian school, Directory period, circa 1800.
Patinated bronze and gilded bronze.
Three lights each.
Measurements: 55.5 cm (total height) x 22 cm; 11 x 11 cm (base).

This pair of candelabra takes the form of a caryatid of Classical Antiquity. The young woman with an unperturbed gesture looks straight ahead, in an archetypal hieratic posture. The rotundity of the female forms is contrasted by the graceful and sinuous scrolls emanating from her arms, which end in large lighters in the form of classical cups. A last lighter ends on the head of the represented. Both figures stand on high pedestals embellished with reliefs of smoking censers supported on bases decorated with hybrid sphinxes. These are typically Empire pieces that combine different types of bronze (gilded and patinated), with monumental lines and architectural inspiration.