Pair of Empire urns; circa 1800.

Pair of Empire urns; circa 1800.
Mercury gilded bronze.
Measurements: 62 x 17 x 17 cm (x2).
Pair of urns made in mercury gilded bronze. Both pieces have the same design with a cup as a central motif that rises on a base also in the same material of cubic shape with an engraving on each of its faces, alternating the presence of a crown and bull's heads on the sides, probably in reference to the metamorphosis of Zeus himself. The cup-shaped oval body follows the models of classical antiquity in terms of typology. In both cases the pieces have a polished base on which the ornamentation in relief is placed. Each of the urns has a vegetal decoration on the base in the form of palmettes at the base that give way to a smooth finish that ends in a fretwork that serves as the basis for the main scene, starring a lady who empties two jugs in each of the cups that carry the little loves that flank the main figure. The iconography indicates that this is Hebe, known as the cupbearer of the gods, responsible for providing ambrosia to the classical pantheon and later replaced by Ganymede. This relief motif is repeated both on the front and on the back of each of the cups and is delimited in the upper area by a fretwork of stylized ovals. Finally, the neck area is adorned by the presence of two little round angels that rest on each of the flanks of the neck and are joined by a garland of fruit, symbol of abundance.
Stylistically, this set of urns still shows a certain influence of the Napoleon III period, in the presence of garlands and Greco-Roman motifs. However, both the strict symmetry of form and ornamentation and the architectural conception of both objects bring us too close to the Empire style.