Pair of candlesticks. Japan, Meiji Era (1868-1912)

Pair of candlesticks. Japan, Meiji Era (1868-1912).
Gilded bronze.
Marks of use and wear.
Measurements: 33,5 x 16 x 9 cm.

Pair of Japanese candlesticks from the Meiji period, executed in cast and gilded bronze. Each piece is articulated on a quadrangular base, decorated on its sides with motifs in relief and elevated on small legs of curved profile. As a shaft emerges a naturalistic composition of bamboo stems and reed leaves, on which appears a crane, a bird of deep symbolism in Japanese culture, emblem of longevity and good fortune. It stands with its neck stretched out. From the beak of each crane, the stem of the candlesticks, conceived as a flowering branch, starts.