Table Centerpiece
Artist: After a design by Nicolas Delaunay (French, ca. 1655-1727)
Date: about 1710
Dimensions:
22 3/4 x 21 1/2 in. (57.8 x 54.6 cm)
Medium: gilded bronze with marble veneer
Place of Origin: France
Classification: Metalwork
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. Alexander
Object number: 1971.178A-I
Label Text:The fashion to combine candlelight and condiments in an elaborate table centerpiece (surtout de table) emerged at the French court of Louis XIV in the 1690s. This complex, gilded bronze example was probably made about 1710 under the supervision of the royal goldsmith Nicolas Delaunay. The central figure, Cupid riding a dolphin, tops an eight-branched candelabrum supported by four busts of nymphs and satyrs on top of the feet of mythical animals. The candelabrum rests on a second, smaller platform with casters at each corner designed to hold spices, salt, and sugar. Eight glass cruets, now missing, were originally placed around the base. When the centerpiece was used in the daytime, the candle cups could be replaced with decorative finials.
This gilded bronze centerpiece was made to replace a gilded silver version created by Delaunay in the late 1690s, probably for Louis XIV’s son, the Grand Dauphin. The dolphin (dauphin in French) at the top of the centerpiece is likely a play on the heir apparent’s title. The original centerpiece was probably melted down in 1709 to help finance the king’s war efforts.
This gilded bronze centerpiece was made to replace a gilded silver version created by Delaunay in the late 1690s, probably for Louis XIV’s son, the Grand Dauphin. The dolphin (dauphin in French) at the top of the centerpiece is likely a play on the heir apparent’s title. The original centerpiece was probably melted down in 1709 to help finance the king’s war efforts.
Not on view
In Collection(s)