Mythical Dragon Ormolu Candelabra with Giant Clam Shells

A pair of extraordinary ormolu candelabra. French 19th century.…
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A pair of extraordinary ormolu candelabra. French 19th century. Provenance: The private collection of Violet Duleau, South-Yarra galleries, Melbourne. Gifted to Private Collection Melbourne. Then gifted to our current vendor, Melbourne. These extraordinary candelabra are a fantasy of design with their mythical dragon like sea-creatures which writhe in battle with sea serpents and which are surrounded by superbly cast giant clam shells. The columns are formed of a mass of flowers that pop-out everywhere, from twisted branches and in this part, their design echoes the style that was popular during the reign of Louis XV. The quality of the chased ormolu is excellent and their sheer weight has to be experienced to be believed as no expense was spared in the scale of their creation. Dimensions: 90 cm high, 28 cm wide

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  • Ormolu - Ormolu was popular with French craftsmen in the 18th and 19th century for ornamental fittings for furniture, clocks and other decorative items. True ormolu is gilt bronze, that is bronze that has been coated with gold using a mercury amalgam. Due to the health risks associated with using mercury, this method of creating ormolu was discontinued in France in the 1830s. A substitute was developed consisting of about 75% copper and 25% zinc, however it was inferior to the bronze version. It was often lacquered to prevent it tarnishing.

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