Pair of Empire candlesticks. France, ca. 1810

Pair of Empire candlesticks. France, ca. 1810.
Gilded bronze.
Measurements: 29 cm (height).

The pair of candlesticks in tender stands out for its curious design based on the presence of perfectly defined animals (hares, deer, lioness on the run, eagles, wading birds or roosters). Both pieces have balustraded shafts that emerge from a delicate set of palmettes and water leaves, topped by bands of stylized palmettes that support the washer. The stem rests on a smooth double knot and a base of lanceolate leaves. The lower body is defined by a faceted triangular base, decorated with panels depicting birds (an eagle, a wading bird and a rooster) on matted backgrounds with "C" scrolls. The whole is supported on lion's paws that sit on a circular plinth, whose decoration alternates reserves of palmettes with figures of hares, deer and a lioness on the run, highlighted on granulated backgrounds.