Belle Époque period French ormolu chandelier

This beautiful ormolu (gilt bronze) chandelier betrays a variety of influences, most prominently Louis XV style Rococo and Louis XVI style Neoclassicism, and does so in the playful and stunningly beautiful manner characteristic of much Belle Époque period art and design.

The chandelier features a central multi-part, shaped, and pierced ormolu stem, richly detailed with a variety of elements and decorative motifs. From the lower tier of the stem springs a trio of scrolled acanthus leaves; upon each acanthus leaf sits an ormolu cherub. These scrolled leaves are echoed in the form of the three light branches, each of which is shaped as a scrolled foliate C-arm, from the end of which hangs the light holder. The chandelier is surmounted by a corona of scrolled acanthus leaves and anthemia, the delicate form of the foliage reflecting the detailed foliate elements that ornament the entire body of the chandelier.