Carousels attributed to Friedrich Bergenfeldt

Empire-style candlesticks attributed to FRIEDRICH BERGENFELDT (1768–1822). Russia, circa 1810.
Patinated and fire-gilded bronze.
In good condition.
Provenance: Austrian private collection.
Measurements: 62 x 22 x 18 cm.

An important pair of Russian Empire-style candelabra, attributed to Friedrich Bergenfeldt, designed with a distinctly sculptural character and a sophisticated combination of patinated bronze and fire-gilded bronze. Bergenfeldt was one of the bronze casters who helped bring the technical and aesthetic excellence of French gilded bronze to Imperial Russia, developing a line of luxurious pieces in St. Petersburg intended for courtly and aristocratic settings.

Each piece is dominated by a classically inspired female figure identifiable as Diana, goddess of the hunt, depicted standing on a lion’s skin and holding two curved light arms; these extend upward until they visually converge around a third central candleholder, forming an elegant arched structure enriched with knots and floral motifs. The hunting iconography is also featured on the truncated pyramidal bases, where hunting dogs stand out in relief, accompanied by trophies of arrows, leaves, and crescent moons, while the claw-tipped legs reinforce the classical and monumental style of the ensemble. The intense contrast between the dark patinated bronze of the figures and the brilliance of the gilded elements is one of the most refined techniques of Empire-style bronze casting, highlighting both the anatomy and the deep folds of the tunics as well as the ornamental richness of the arms and bases.

Friedrich Bergenfeldt was a prominent German-born bronze castor active in St. Petersburg, considered a key figure in the development of Neoclassical bronze casting and the early Russian Empire style. Born in Westphalia, he moved to Russia in the 1790s, where he initially worked in the workshops of the bronze casters Yan Aoustin and Charles Dreyer. After a possible stay in Paris, he returned to St. Petersburg in 1801 and established his own workshop on the Fontanka embankment, specializing in luxury objects such as candelabra, chandeliers, lamps, vases, and ornamental elements for furniture. His work is distinguished by the extraordinary quality of the casting and chiseling, the combined use of patinated and fire-gilded bronze, and a repertoire inspired by classical antiquity, featuring mythological figures, animals, sphinxes, marine motifs, and trophies. Bergenfeldt was particularly influenced by the great Parisian bronze casters, especially Claude Galle, adapting these models to the tastes of the Russian court and aristocracy. He also collaborated with the renowned cabinetmaker Heinrich Gambs, supplying gilded bronze mounts for his furniture.