PAIR OF NEOCLASSICAL CANDELABRA, PROBABLY RUSSIAN WORK In the taste of Friedrich Bergenfeldt (1768-1822) In chased and gilded bronze, with four arms of light, three of which emerge from a dolphin, the central one from an Egyptian figure, the shaft resting on a rectangular base decorated with foliate scrolls. H.:70 cm (27½ in.) l.:36 cm(14¼ in.) A pair of Neoclassical gilt-bronze four-light candelabra, probably Russian, in the taste of Friedrich Bergenfeldt (1768-1822) This elegant pair of candelabra, with its slender profile, combining dolphin-decorated arms of light around a central shaft adorned with a pharaoh, is reminiscent of the work of the famous bronze-smith Friedrich Bergenfeldt (1768-1822), active in St. Petersburg between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His work, which included chandeliers, candelabras and vases, was inspired by the designs of A.N. Voronikhin. Indeed, the Pharaoh on the shaft of our pair of candelabras can be found in a number of Voronikhin's designs (cfr. I. Sychev, Russian Bronze, Moscow, 2003, p.90), as can the reference to sea creatures, a subject dear to Bergenfeldt's production. A pair of candelabra of a model very similar to ours, also attributed to Friedrich Bergenfeldt, sold at Christie's Paris, May 4-5, 2011, lot 556.