en
fr
anonyme (sculpteur, bronzier)
Bacchus

vers 1805
bronze ; bronze (doré) H. 110 cm ; l. 40 cm
inv. 997
legs Marmottan Paul (testateur) (1932 acquis)
Quite unexpectedly, these two candelabras forming a pair are not identical. They have attributes that are quite distinct, joined in the very rich theme of bacchanalias. The male figure in patinated bronze, the satyr, dancing, wearing a goatskin nebris, and modestly girt with a vine branch, holds a bowl in one hand and a thyrsus in the other. The latter, surrounded by ivy and vine branches, ends in a first bouquet of six lights imitating a hunting horn, guarded by goat heads. Above, a single arm is formed by a bowl overflowing with bunches of grapes. The female figure, a bacchante, wears a leopardskin nebris. She is holding an amphora and a thyrsus, similar to her companion’s. The bases are also identical: hexagonal in form, with gilt bronze decoration on a patinated ground, alternating scrolling vine branches and bacchante. While the Bacchic theme is what gives these pieces their specificity, the dancing figures can be compared to the objects made by Galle and Feuchère for the imperial residences. The Musée Masséna in Nice holdsan identical pair, albeit without its lights.