Candelabrum - Brass - Cloisonné enamel





€18 | ||
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€15 | ||
€14 | ||
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A desk candelabrum in brass with cloisonné enamel, dating to the late 19th century in Napoléon III antique style, made in France, measuring 6 cm high, 14 cm wide and 10 cm deep, in good used condition with light signs of age.
Description from the seller
This delicate three-light candleholder, made in lacquered brass using the cloisonné technique during the second half of the 19th century, fully reflects the eclectic and refined taste characteristic of the Second Empire Napoleon III period. Its design blends the ornamental exuberance typical of French historicism with a pronounced Orientalizing influence, highly valued in European decorative arts of the era.
The base, with a contoured and sinuous profile, unfolds a dense composition of scrolls, stylized leaves, and multicolored blooms that nearly cover the entire surface. The fine metal compartments delimit enamels in bright turquoise, cobalt blue, emerald green, white, pink, and red, creating a chromatic effect of extraordinary richness against the brass’s golden background. The floral ornament, treated with meticulous and dynamic drawing, evokes imaginary gardens inspired by Persian and Japanese sources, an influence very present in the decorative manufactories of the late 19th century.
The candle holder, raised on a small circular stem also enamelled, preserves its inner white porcelain cup intended to protect the structure from the heat of the flame. The harmony between the curvilinear line of the support and the decorative profusion of the enamels confers the piece with a singular elegance, where functionality is subordinated to the ornamental effect.
More than a mere lighting object, this candelabrum constitutes a representative piece of 19th-century decorative art, close to Napoleon III’s taste for exotic and luxurious objects. The combination of gilded brass and cloisonné enamel, along with the abundance of botanical motifs and the brilliant polychromy, make it a refined testimony to European enthusiasm for Far Eastern arts and for the preciosista manufactories that enriched late 19th-century bourgeois interiors.
If a more precise stylistic attribution is sought, in addition to Napoleon III it could be defined as a piece of Japonist or Orientalist taste, terms that aptly describe the floral decoration and the cloisonné technique that visually dominate the piece.
Certified shipment and careful packing.
Seller's Story
This delicate three-light candleholder, made in lacquered brass using the cloisonné technique during the second half of the 19th century, fully reflects the eclectic and refined taste characteristic of the Second Empire Napoleon III period. Its design blends the ornamental exuberance typical of French historicism with a pronounced Orientalizing influence, highly valued in European decorative arts of the era.
The base, with a contoured and sinuous profile, unfolds a dense composition of scrolls, stylized leaves, and multicolored blooms that nearly cover the entire surface. The fine metal compartments delimit enamels in bright turquoise, cobalt blue, emerald green, white, pink, and red, creating a chromatic effect of extraordinary richness against the brass’s golden background. The floral ornament, treated with meticulous and dynamic drawing, evokes imaginary gardens inspired by Persian and Japanese sources, an influence very present in the decorative manufactories of the late 19th century.
The candle holder, raised on a small circular stem also enamelled, preserves its inner white porcelain cup intended to protect the structure from the heat of the flame. The harmony between the curvilinear line of the support and the decorative profusion of the enamels confers the piece with a singular elegance, where functionality is subordinated to the ornamental effect.
More than a mere lighting object, this candelabrum constitutes a representative piece of 19th-century decorative art, close to Napoleon III’s taste for exotic and luxurious objects. The combination of gilded brass and cloisonné enamel, along with the abundance of botanical motifs and the brilliant polychromy, make it a refined testimony to European enthusiasm for Far Eastern arts and for the preciosista manufactories that enriched late 19th-century bourgeois interiors.
If a more precise stylistic attribution is sought, in addition to Napoleon III it could be defined as a piece of Japonist or Orientalist taste, terms that aptly describe the floral decoration and the cloisonné technique that visually dominate the piece.
Certified shipment and careful packing.

