Twelve-light chandelier (Lustre)
The metal body of this graceful chandelier is composed of a vase adorned with horned rams’ masks and sphinxes from which four pairs of branches emerge. A staff crowned with a pinecone or thyrsus, traditionally carried by Bacchus and his followers, is placed on top surrounded by four children dressed in loincloths each blowing a horn-shaped candle branch. The children provide a diverting presence tempering the severe neoclassical design.
The combination of patinated and gilt bronze offers the kind of rich and sophisticated contrast favored during the late eighteenth century.
Artwork Details
- Title: Twelve-light chandelier (Lustre)
- Date: 1790–1800
- Culture: French
- Medium: Gilt and patinated bronze
- Dimensions: 47 × 38 in. (119.4 × 96.5 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork-Gilt Bronze
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1920
- Object Number: 20.44.2
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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