Grand Tour Bronze ‘Dolphin & Shell’ Candlestick

A finely modelled mid-19th-century Grand Tour bronze candlestick, the stem cast as a sinuous Roman delphinus, its tightly coiled body rising from a stepped circular base to support a scallop-shell drip pan and turned nozzle with beadwork ornament. The dolphin, an emblem familiar in ancient Roman fountains and maritime décor is crisply rendered, with sharply defined scales, expressive facial modelling and superb movement along the S-curve of the body.