A pair of French gilt bronze standard oil lamps in the Pompeiian Revival taste

A pair of French gilt bronze standard oil lamps in the Pompeiian Revival taste, late 19th century, the burners and reservoirs set within urns with cast scenes depicting mythological or allegorical figures, with putti playing pan pipes perched atop feline masks suspending ring handles, the circular base with grotesque masks on reeded shafts with palmette detail, each on three monopodia with paw feet interspersed with anthemia, 175 cm high including fitments
CATALOGUE NOTES;
During the second half of the nineteenth century, the Roman city of Pompeii was more alive than it had ever been since the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius had destroyed it in 79AD. Excavations commenced in 1748 under King Carlo di Borbone of the two Sicilies, and were steadily advancing during the nineteenth century, when pioneering archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli took the lead. As more murals and objects were unearthed, the bronze foundries of Europe found great inspiration in the aesthetic of these ancient finds. The present floor lamps strongly reflect this Pompeian 'look' not just in the mythological scenes cast on the urn oil reservoirs, but also in the paw feet, grotesque masks, palmette leaves and anthemia. This style of lamp is also reproduced in the Chiurazzi Foundry illustrated catalogue, who were renowned for producing bronze models after the Antique from museum collections and excavation sites.