Pair of Late 19th French Animalier Bronze Candlesticks - 4"

This petite pair of French animalier bronze candlesticks, dating to the mid to late 19th century, are full of character and charm. Each is modeled as a bird striding across a rocky mound, one resembling a pheasant and the other a humble hen, evoking both the game field and the farm yard. Behind them rises a naturalistic foliate spray that forms the candle nozzle. The bronzes display crisp chiseling to the plumage and ground, with a rich brown patina contrasting against gilt bronze circular bases edged with a tongue-and-dart border. The gilding is attractively timeworn with rubbing to the high points, while the bronzes retain an even, mellow patina.

Graceful in scale, the pair makes a refined accent on a mantel or console, their patinated bronze and soft gilding adding depth to a vignette. They also lend charm to an intimate dining table, where slender beeswax tapers create a warm, flickering glow among flowers, porcelain, and crystal. Equally suited to a library, desk, or bedside table, where they can even serve as decorative paperweights, these candlesticks bring an atmospheric blend of rustic elegance and sophisticated craftsmanship.