Late 19th Century Pair of French Giltwood Urns with Roses - 14½"

This pair of petite urns in carved, painted, and gilt wood was assembled in the late 19th century from earlier boiserie elements and carries exceptional decorative charm. Each Medici-form body is gadrooned and raised on a later square plinth in chalky ivory paint, crowned with a finely carved rose in gilt wood. The petals curl with romantic detail, revealing traces of red bole beneath the luminous gold. The contrast of matte off-white and warm gilding enhances their classical elegance, while timeworn surfaces with softened gilding, small gesso losses, and natural age lines add authenticity and character.

Urn-and-flower motifs were a hallmark of classical French decoration, gracing boiseries in salons and private rooms from the Louis XVI period onward. With their intimate scale and balanced proportions, these urns bring poetry and refinement to interiors. Perfect on a mantel, console, or sieboard, they draw the eye with their romantic roses and softly aged surfaces, adding a note of warmth and timeless decorative charm to any setting.