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:This complex, gilded bronze centerpiece was probably made about 1710 under the supervision of the French 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. When the centerpiece was used in the daytime, the candle cups could be replaced with decorative finials.
Not on view
In Collection(s)