19th Century Pair of Italian Grand Tour Antique Bronze Candlesticks

PAIR OF GRAND TOUR TRI-FORM BRONZE CANDLESTICKS IN THE MANNER OF GIUSEPPE BOSCHI
Italian, 19th century

Sand-cast gilt bronze, unmarked

15 5/8" H x 5 1/4" D x 4 1/2" W

A pair of gilt bronze candlesticks in the Roman neoclassical taste, each with a flame finial above a circular drip pan and a tapering shaft enriched with birds, flowering stems and dense foliate ornament. The lower body is organized as a triangular architectural support together with cranes arranged over ram heads above panels of anthemion, ribbon and scroll decoration. Each candlestick is raised on three winged griffin supports ending in lion paw feet.

The design belongs to a group of late eighteenth century Roman models executed by Giuseppe Boschi, whose workshop supplied bronzes and antiquarian reductions to the Grand Tour market. An example of his drawing for the English architect Charles Heathcote Tatham is preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (acc. no. D.1498-1898). The composition ultimately descends from the monumental form designed by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, especially the famed Newdigate Candelabra held in the permanent collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (acc. no. ANMichaelis.242).

Tatham traveled throughout Italy in the 1790s touring the great works of antiquity, this bringing him into contact with the great bronziers of the period including Boschi. Tatham acquired works from Boschi for Henry Holland and later adapted related motifs in his own designs. The crane form seen on these candlesticks seems to have been of particular interest to him, appearing in his published studies of Grecian and Roman ornament and in designs that influenced later furnishings for Carlton House.

Boschi worked within the same Roman tradition of fine art bronze casting that produced the sculptures of Zoffoli, Righetti, and Valadier; however, his production occupied a somewhat different place in the market. His objects offered learned antique design in a form suited to foreign collectors, architects, and patrons furnishing interiors in the archaeological taste. Contemporary admiration for his work came not only from collectors, but also from artists and designers who valued his ability to translate ancient ornament into refined bronze objects.

The present pair showcases the combination of flame, birds, ram heads, foliate shafts, griffin supports and architectural bases in a way that perfectly reflects the essence of the Piranesian design. Note the crisp chiseling and chasing of the surface throughout, the figures and motifs carved and engraved post-casting to create a sharpness to the elemental detail.

For several identical examples and nearly identical examples, see Sotheby's:

Sotheby's Paris, Collection of Alvar Gonzales-Palacios, 29 March 2007, lot 87
Sotheby's, Milan, Italy, 16 June 2010, lot 112, achieved 6250 euros
Sotheby's, New York 9 August 2023, lot 11, achieved $ 3302 USD
Sotheby's, London, 6 December 2022, lot 52, achieved 5592 GBP

Condition: Very fine original condition. Rubbing to patina, discoloration and trace verdigris to patina. Ready to place.

ref. 604MNP28P