Centerpiece in chiseled and gilded bronze, France, Empire period, early 19th century Measurements: cm H 36 x diameter 23 Price: private negotiation Item accompanied by our certificate of authenticity This refined centerpiece was made in France in the early 19th century, Empire period, in finely chiseled and gilded bronze. The base with six claw feet, hexagonal in section with concave sides, is decorated with palmette motifs. Above, three figures of swans with open wings, on which a surface rests, are interspersed with phytomorphic decorative elements. The central part of the centerpiece consists of a fluted vertical element around which three female figures dance, connected to each other at the top by lavish garlands. The three maidens can be identified with the three Graces (Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia), Daughters of Zeus and the nymph Eurynome, in Roman mythology. Personifying beauty and feminine grace, they symbolize splendor, joy and prosperity. Here represented in ancient dress, they are each different from the other, accompanied by a vase full of fruit, vine decorating the hairstyle, small flowers. Their dancing attitude, on tiptoe, with raised arms, gives greater movement and lightness to the whole. The central column and the three maidens support the top part of the centerpiece, consisting of a band decorated with bas-reliefs with vine shoots and a perforated basket composed of phytomorphic elements and scrolls. The centerpiece as a whole has a graceful and luminous composition, very decorative and elegant. Easily placed as a flower or fruit centerpiece on tables, coffee tables, columns, chests of drawers, guéridons and consoles, it can be combined with both antique and modern furnishings.
Period: First half of the 19th century