Twelve-light chandelier (Lustre)

Unknown

1790–1800 · Gilt and patinated bronze · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1790–1800

Medium

Gilt and patinated bronze

Culture

French

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1920