Pair of large ormolu candlesticks, Paris circa 1800

Pair of candlesticks
Gilt bronze, 3 elements
Dimensions: H. 27.5 (cm.)
Paris, circa 1800

Pair of torches resting on a circular base decorated with a frieze of palmettes, pearls and a knurled trellis.
The shaft is fluted, and the Medicis-shaped tap rests on a palmette pedestal. Very fine burnished finish.

A prestigious model
This pair of torches is a variant of a model now in the collections of the Château de Fontainebleau. The inventories state that they were used in Maréchale Duroc's apartment in 1807. Another variant also lined the Salon of the Cour Ovale ground-floor apartment in 1810. Numerous models of fluted torches with reversed leaves and variants were delivered under the Empire, made by Claude Galle and André-Antoine Ravrio.

Condition report. The gilding is very fresh, with some wear. Superb patina of age, these gilded bronzes have probably never been chemically cleaned, as evidenced by the color of the reverse.