A PAIR OF GILT AND PATINATED BRONZE FIGURES OF TRITON AND NEREID ASTRIDE MARBLE TURTLES, BY EDWARD F. CALDWELL & CO. NEW YORK, CIRCA 1900

The Nereid holding a lyre on one hand and a flaming cornucopia on the other; Triton holding a trident and a fish from whose mouth flames protrude; figure of Triton stamped C to underside 

Princess Anne de La Tour d'Auvergne Lauraguais 

Founded in New York City in 1895, Edward F. Caldwell & Co soon became one of the leading designers of decorative metalwork and electric light fixtures in the United States of America. Many of their pieces can be found in the most prestigious public buildings across the country, including the White House, the New York Public Library and the Rockefeller Center, as well as the residences of wealthy patrons such as John Pierpont Morgan's and the Vanderbilts'. Most of Caldwell's pieces were inspired by the styles of the French 18th century, and perfectly suited to the taste of America's grandest families who were at the time building mansions in the Louis XV or Louis XVI styles.

While the model for the Triton is reminiscent of similar if less lavishly decorated bronze lamps by the firm, this pair with figure of a Nereid on a finely carved turtle-shaped marble base has never been offered for sale before. It is probable that Caldwell drew inspiration for this design from a project for two fountains by Charles Le Brun Brun (1619-1690) for Versailles, the sketches now in the Louvre (No.s 2387 and 2385 respectively).