Bonbon basket - Gilt bronze

Napoleon III candy/bonbon basket in glass and gilded bronze - France, 19th century.

Impressive sweets basket in the Napoleon III style, consisting of a transparent glass vessel with a cylindrical body and wide undulated and raised rim, wrapped by an elaborated gilded bronze frame.

The rich decoration, inspired by Louis XVI, includes classical urns, garlands of roses, bows, laurel branches, palmettes, volutes and friezes of leaves. The base, elevated on four paw-shaped feet, features a delicately openwork structure. A high curved wing, lavishly ornamented with floral and vegetal motifs, is topped with a composition of flowers and fruits.

A piece of apparatus of unusual dimensions and meticulous workmanship, intended for presenting candies or confections on a formal table, and may also be used as a decorative centerpiece.

Dimensions: 35 × 22 × 17 cm