Louis Valentin Elias Robert

(Étampes, France, 1821 – Paris, 1874)

Second Empire Vase

France, second half of 19th century

marble and bronze

72 x 59 x 48 cm

Inv. no. 2635

BBVA Collection Spain



An elegant combination of pink marble with fire-gilded bronze applications, with the characteristic decorative motifs of the time including garlands and cherubs.
The foot, comprising a marble piece resting on four lion’s paws, and the two volute handles in the upper section are the only signs of the lingering survival of the neoclassical and Empire styles in the second half of the 19th century. On the contrary, the asymmetry of the garlands and the figures of the cherubs around the marble vase proportion a sense of rhythm to the piece closer to 18th century French tastes. Taken together, all these eclectically mixed elements characterise the taste of the Second
(1852-1870), also called Napoleon III (1808-1873), a continuation of the forms of the preceding Louis-Philippe style.
Popularised by Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of France, this style was predicated on ostentation, with excessively elaborate forms, abundant and opulent curves, a profusion of hanging elements and historical eclecticism.