A fine pair of Louis XVI period ormolu, bronze and marble eight…
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A fine pair of Louis XVI period ormolu, bronze and marble eight light candelabra, French, 18th century, formed from classically draped maidens with urns issuing 'S' scroll foliate decorated branches. Standing on circular rouge Royal marble plinths, decorated with vine swags, 46 cm wide, 37 cm deep, 94 cm high
ormolu. Ormolu was popular with French craftsmen in the 18th and 19th century for ornamental fittings for furniture, clocks and other decorative items. True ormolu is gilt bronze, that is bronze that has been coated with gold using a mercury amalgam. Due to the health risks associated with using mercury, this method of creating ormolu was discontinued in France in the 1830s. A substitute was developed consisting of about 75% copper and 25% zinc, however it was inferior to the bronze version. It was often lacquered to prevent it tarnishing.
swag / garland / festoon. A popular neo-classical form of decoration in decorative art consisting of a pendant garland made up of flowers, fruit and leaves, and found on all types of objects from furniture to ceramics and clocks, and in many materials from bronze to wood.
Common themes included in swags are husks, chains, hops, and laurel leaves.
bronze. An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.
The buyers premium is an additional percentage charge on the hammer price of the item, imposed by the auction house to cover administrative costs. The buyers premium percentage varies between auction houses, with a range of 12.5% to 22%.
