Lot 954 Dα

This type of large candelabra is based on the designs of the Frenchmen Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, whose "Recueil de décorations intérieures: comprenant tout ce qui a rapport a l'ameublement, comme vases, trépieds, candélabres..." was published in Paris in 1812. Percier and Fontaine adapted classical motifs discovered during the recent archaeological excavations in Naples, which perfectly suited the emperor's taste. Following their designs, the Parisian ebenist Pierre Benoît Marcion (1769 - 1840) created a series of eight "torchères" based on antique models. The lamps featured three sculpted models of eagles perching with outspread wings on the angles of the three-sided tapering plinths, and a fluted column shaft with an acanthus clasped base. These candelabra are now housed in the Mobilier National.
About 20 years later, a large candelabra similar to the one presented here was cast in bronze by the Manufattura Manfredini for the Palazzo Reale in Turin, based on a design by Pelagio Palagi. It bears a voluminous crown of branches with numerous nozzles, and was entirely in-keeping with the taste of the restoration period. These candelabras with their fully sculptured figures and dense relief decoration can also be dated to this period. They were probably produced in northern Italy, possibly even by an artist from the circle of the great designer Pelagio Palagi.