Pair of Eight Light Candelabra c. 1785th century

These bronze and gilt candelabras, were sculpted by Clodion sometime in the 18th century. Just imagine him in his studio, wrestling with the material, coaxing these forms into being. I wonder, what was Clodion thinking when he conceived these figures? The way these bronze women elegantly hold up the gilded branches, heavy with candle perches, is kind of wild, right? It's like they're bearing the weight of illumination, literally and metaphorically. He must have been obsessed with light, and how it can transform a space, and the figures in it. The materiality is so rich here. Bronze, with its earthy, solid presence, contrasted against the shimmering, reflective gold. They have this energy between them, as if the women and the candelabras are supporting, and talking to, each other. It reminds me a little of Rodin, but with a twist. Isn’t it interesting how artists, through their work, are always responding to and riffing off each other, across time? It’s this ongoing conversation, this exchange of ideas, which pushes us all forward.