19th Century Napoleonic European Whimsical Elephant Bronze and Glass Liqueur Decanter. Often referred to as a cave à liqueur, liquor fountain, or tantalus, these fascinating pieces were inspired by the Empire movement and usually attributed to makers in France and Austria. This one features a hand-painted pink opaline or enameled glass barrel mounted elaborately on a patinated bronze elephant sculpture on an oval base. 

Condition: Some age related wear. 

Size: 7 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 13 in. 

The Empire Period (roughly 1800 to 1820) was an early 19th Century design movement, flourishing during Napoleon I’s French Consulate and First Empire. It represents the second phase of Neoclassicism, characterized by rigid, symmetrical, and ornate architectural and interior designs, utilizing motifs from Greek and Egyptian antiquity to symbolize power. Empire style spread from France to much of Europe and eventually the United States, influencing and existing contemporaneously with the Federal, Regency, and Biedermeier styles and utilizing aesthetics of Imperial Rome to emphasize the shift from a monarchy to an elected or emperor-ruled regime. The style lasted long after Napoleon’s defeat, influencing Scandinavian simplicity, Stalinist austerity, and Brutalist city planning as well as experiencing several revivals, despite its short-lived origins. 

Some age related wear. 

All items are sold AS IS. Lot and condition details are for descriptive purposes only. Sarasota Estate Auction is not responsible for errors and/or omissions of condition. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is perfect or free from wear, flaws, or characteristics of age. Please bid according to your own expertise, or request any additional information and/or photographs you deem necessary.