A pair of small French gilt bronze candlesticks in the shape of quivers, or carquois. The quiver-shaped column ends in a pine cone at the bottom, and is carried by a tripod that itself stands upon the round base. The foot comprises two stylised layers, of which the upper has the shape of a basin edged with laurel leaves and berries and features a centrally placed upraised pine cone immediately beneath the suspended cone at the bottom of the column. The whole stands upon a round base with a rounded edge to which stylised floral decorations have been applied.
Based on their stylistic characteristics, these candlesticks could be attributed to Jean-Louis Prieur (1732-1795). Prieur worked as a sculptor, bronze caster, ciseleur, designer and engraver, and was one of the leading exponents of the Neoclassicist style. He trained at the Académie de Saint-Luc in Paris in 1765. In the following year he worked on the interior of the Royal Palace in Warsaw, together with Victor-Louis and Philippe Caffiéri; he and Victor-Louis Caffiéri also collaborated on the refurbishment of the choir of Chartres Cathedral. In 1769, he was admitted to the guild as maître fondeur-ciseleur (master caster-engraver). His heyday occurred in the 1770s, with commissions such as designing a clock for the wedding of the Dauphin and Marie-Antoinette. He also provided bronze objects for the coach built for Louis XVI’s coronation.
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