Art Nouveau Period Gilt Bronze Three Arm Candlestick, France c.1890

A fabulous Art Nouveau gilt bronze candlestick from France c.1890. The beautiful lines of this candlestick have a sensuous quality to them that was quite appealing at the end of the nineteenth century in architecture and interior design as the forms represented a new way of seeing traditional motifs. The central shaft stands upon a tripartite base with three well defined avian feet. In each of the three sections between the feet there is a large portrait bust of a Classical visage supported by a large leaf on the left and right beneath each face. The column itself resembles a stream of cascading water as it pours from a single source and has a striated pattern to its surface and flares outward at the base. Directly above the column is a section that resembles a split pomegranate with the seeds appearing in a curvaceous section. The smooth surrounding and the small spheres of the seeds gives a curiously potent effect. The top of the candlesatick has a candle nozzle supported by a flared ring reminiscent of palm leaves and a bold ring of scrolled flourishes where the candle is placed. There are three equidistantly placed candle arms that match the placement of the avian feet and each arm begins with a narrow profile close to the column and then expands in girth as it reaches the end of each arm. All three arms support a circular candle nozzle with a neoclassically inspired pattern visible around the entire circumference. The contrast between the raised sculptural appearance of the central nozzle against the flattened appearance of the arm pattern also gives a sense of contrast and visual interest. The grand scale of the candlestick and its hefty weight in addition to its brilliant gilded bronze finish make it a terrific focal point wherever it is placed within an interior.