Pair of Renaissance Revival Gilt Bronze Covered Urns by Levillain (French, 1837-1905)

This pair of urns are truly exquisite. Two scrolled handles terminate in centaur mascarons which lead the eye to the strong bulls on either side of each urn belly; signed 'Levillain'' on the back. Garlands of fruit, swans with outstretched wings, female mascarons , Putti and scroll forms framed by curling ribbons and festoon borders adorn the urns, all surmounted on four raised paw feet on a stepped circular base.

Levillain was a sculptor working in the mid to late 19th Century. He was known for his skilled metalwork,  particularly in the medium of bronze. He became known as one of the premiere creators of bronze artworks, and worked from 1871, with the master bronzier of the French Belle Epoque, Ferdinand Barbedienne. Creating mainly Neo-Grec style, a form of Neoclassicism, he made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1861, before exhibiting at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris.

Artist: Ferdinand Levillain (French, 1837-1905) 

Origin: French 

Date: Mid - Late 19th Century 

Dimensions: 17" x 9"