Pair of glasses; France, c.1790.

Pair of cups; France, c.1790.
Mercury gilded bronze.
Measurements: 48 x 15 x 12 cm (x2).
This elegant pair of ornamental goblets, made in France around 1790 in mercury gilt bronze, is a refined example of French decorative arts in the transition between the Louis XVI style and early Neoclassicism. Inspired by models of classical antiquity, these pieces reflect the deep archaeological interest that marked European taste at the end of the 18th century, fueled by the discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum and by the spread of an aesthetic ideal based on harmony, symmetry and formal purity.
The cups present a profile inspired by ancient Greco-Roman craters and ceremonial vessels, enriched with a complex sculptural ornamentation. Particularly noteworthy are the figures of winged lovebirds that act as lateral handles and the classically inspired reliefs applied on the quadrangular bases, where delicate winged female figures appear, associated with the allegorical and mythological repertoire characteristic of Neoclassicism. The precise modeling of the reliefs and the richness of the vegetal and ornamental details reveal the extraordinary technical quality of the Parisian workshops specialized in gilded bronze.
The use of mercury gilding, a process reserved for the most luxurious productions of the time, gives the surfaces a warm and uniform luminosity that accentuates the elegant monumentality of the pieces. This finish, in addition to demonstrating the technical virtuosity of French bronze craftsmen, responded to the desire to emulate the splendor of precious metals and to integrate these objects into aristocratic interiors conceived as spaces of representation and cultural prestige.
Beyond their decorative function, this pair of goblets testifies to the transformation of the ornamental object into a true sculptural work during the last decades of the 18th century. Their formal language fully anticipates the imperial aesthetic that would dominate the first decades of the 19th century and is related to the production of prominent French bronze artists active around the Revolution and the Napoleonic period. In this sense, the pieces represent not only an outstanding example of French neoclassical taste, but also an expression of the technical and artistic refinement achieved by Parisian bronzework at one of the most brilliant moments in its history.