Pair of Late 19th-Century Bronze Lidded Urns

Details

Description

Imagine lightly clad maidens dancing together in the sun amid the spring grasses. Some scenes never lose their allure, even … Read more Imagine lightly clad maidens dancing together in the sun amid the spring grasses. Some scenes never lose their allure, even after 2600 years. Nineteenth-century Europeans were inspired by the ongoing discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum, ushering in the Neoclassic style at home—just as we see on this pair of 19th-century French, patinated bronze lidded urns.
With their coiled snake handles, the urns slither further into antiquity. Unlike us, ancient Greeks and Romans viewed serpents as guardians of the household and sacred sites. When used as handles, decorative snakes were symbolically "protecting" the contents of the urn.
Additionally in this case, the snakes may refer to the followers of Dionysus, known as Baccus to the unfortunate Pompeiians, which brings us back to the dancing maidens. His followers were said to charm or carry snakes during their rituals, which were famously festive. As the ancient Greek god of wine, winemaking, grape cultivation, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theater, Dionysus was one of the twelve Olympian gods, and was regarded as the "twice-born" deity due to his unusual birth from his father's thigh. You had to be there.
Maker’s mark: nonexistent. Base dimensions: 5” x 5” See less