Pair of 19th-Century French Neoclassical Patinated Metal Figures of the Muses - 15¾"

A pair of late 19th-century Neoclassical figures representing Muses, cast in a patinated metal alloy and mounted on turned ebonized wood bases. Each Muse is shown standing in a relaxed contrapposto pose, leaning against a pedestal or columnar support and accompanied by attributes associated with writing and scholarship. Their long classical robes fall in deeply modeled folds, while the dark bronze-brown patina is enlivened by warm coppery highlights. The textured, subtly granular surface is particularly appealing, lending the figures a rustic, tactile quality that contrasts with their classical subject matter. 

The pair likely represents Calliope, Muse of epic poetry, and Clio, Muse of history, although the precise identification of each figure is not entirely certain from their attributes alone. One holds a stylus and an open book, while the other holds a stylus and what appears to be a small funerary shabti figure, with a closed book resting on the pedestal at her side. Together, the two Muses evoke poetry, scholarship, history, and the preservation of knowledge, giving the pair particular relevance in a study or library, while their classical forms make them equally at home in a refined living room.