French Napoleonic Revival Gilt Bronze Armorial Dolphin Finial on Marble Base

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A sculptural bronze and marble object of symbolic and decorative intent, this French piece from the late 19th century is … Read more A sculptural bronze and marble object of symbolic and decorative intent, this French piece from the late 19th century is cast in the Napoleonic Revival style and takes the form of a heraldic finial or mount, possibly once crowning a presentation box, armorial cabinet, or other ceremonial furnishing. The design features a pair of stylized dolphins, modeled in the classical manner with muscular, scaled bodies and expressive baroque faces, their tails dramatically coiled upward in a mirrored spiral. At the apex of this entwined form, the dolphins support a central bronze orb surmounted by a fleur-de-lis—an emblem historically associated with French monarchy, divine right, and authority.

The entire ensemble is mounted on a smoothly polished oval plinth of white marble, providing both visual contrast and weight to stabilize the sculptural composition. The symbolism is multilayered: dolphins, since antiquity, have connoted protection, swiftness, and naval prowess, while the orb and fleur-de-lis elevate the piece into the realm of state power, dynastic identity, or courtly heraldry. Within the Napoleonic and Second Empire vocabulary, such a configuration would have signified maritime imperialism and legitimacy, possibly alluding to the imperial globe (“globus cruciger”) adapted to a French idiom through the fleur-de-lis.

Its scale—5.25 inches wide by 3.375 inches deep and 5 inches high—suggests it was not merely decorative but functional, perhaps serving as the finial to a reliquary box, ceremonial inkstand, or as a central cartouche on a larger architectural element. See less