Pair of cauldrons. Possibly Russia, ca. 1800

Pair of cauldrons. Possibly Russia, ca. 1800.
Polychrome pine wood.
Measurements: 180 x 40 x 40 cm.

Although the firepits in tender have been entirely made of painted pine wood, their magnificent polychromies emulate different materials (gilded bronze, porphyry or patinated bronze) thus alluding to the combination of materials typical of periods such as Napoleon III. Each of these censers stands on four claw feet on which rests an octagonal plinth that combines concave sides with smooth sides. On this rests a shaft divided into two markedly differentiated structures: the lower one, of smaller dimensions, takes the form of a cluster of palmettes and ends in a nexus that gives rise to the upper column, wider at the base, embellished with bas-reliefs of Gothic reminiscences (with pointed arches, fleurons and rosettes). The upper third of the column presents a striated design and ends in the large circular censers.