Empire Candleholders with Caryatids à la Grècque, 19th Century, Set of 2

On a round base with finely chased classical foliate friezes standing conical and fluted candle shaft made of patinated bronze with three female busts or caryatids with antique hair costumes and corresponding pairs of feet on the base. The central candle spout, supported by the three female heads, in turn supports a removable attachment with a central palmette-like patinated shaft and two candelabra arms swinging s-shaped to the sides with foliate decoration in gilt bronze. Each candelabra arm with cylindrical spout and removable wax plates. The pair of Empire candelabra follows a model by the famous bronze maker Claude Galle, which he made for the Chateau Fontainebleau in 1804. Claude Galle (1759-1815), one of the most important bronziers of his time, received his master title in 1786 and subsequently received numerous commissions from the French court and later became one of the most important craftsmen working for Napoleon. In the course of this he also collaborated with the famous bronzier Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) and was responsible for the majority of the bronze fittings, decorations and mounts commissioned for the furnishings of the Château of Fontainebleau and others. The best collections in the world display his work, including the Musée de Château de Malmaison, the Musée Marmottan in Paris, the Museo de Reloges in Jerez de la Frontera, the Munich Residence and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Cf. Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel: Vergoldete Bronzen. Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus, Munich 1986, 2 vol., vol. 1, p. 286, fig. 4.15.1 and p. 326, fig. 5.1.6 and 5.1.7. Condition: good, min. age and wear marks, min. abrasion, partial corrosion spots