Pair of candelabra with Winged Victories

Pierre Philippe Thomire

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Winged Victories, symbols of military triumph, were a staple of Napoleonic decoration. These candelabra are comprised of Hellenistic winged figures of Nike or Victory, arms upraised and supporting floral wreaths from which branch ten candle sockets decorated with fluting, acanthus leaves, and spirals. Torches of flowers in the center are supported by spirals. The rectangular bases with wreaths in relief and stylized artichokes support the figures above. Similar candelabra were designed by Charles Percier (1764–1838) for the boudoir of Empress Josephine at the Château de Saint-Cloud, where they were identified in the 1805 and 1807 inventories. Percier's original drawing of his candelabra (entitled Pieces of furniture in a "boudoir") is in the Metropolitan Museum's collection.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art