Twelve-light chandelier (Lustre)

Gilt bronze was used extensively for different types of lighting, ranging from freestanding candlesticks and candelabra to hanging chandeliers and lanterns.



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.