Pair of Vintage 20th Century Plaster Flame Finials

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A pair of vintage 20th-century plaster flame finials, likely salvaged from a theater interior, now flicker with quiet symbolism. The … Read more A pair of vintage 20th-century plaster flame finials, likely salvaged from a theater interior, now flicker with quiet symbolism. The flame—long a motif of inspiration, memory, and transformation—feels especially poignant in a theatrical context, where illusion and emotion are cast in shifting light, and stories burn brightly before fading to black. These sculptural forms, captured in mid-motion, are stylized to the point of abstraction—more gesture than realism. Their painted surfaces are richly layered, with mottled tones that suggest aged stone or the patina of smoke and time. There’s a certain grandeur here, but it’s softened by age, worn at the edges like a memory. They recall an era when architectural ornament was as emotive as the performance itself—when even a decorative flame could hold meaning. Not just embellishments, but emblems of ephemerality, elevation, and presence. The kind of objects that once lit a room without ever casting a shadow. See less