Featured Winged Maiden Candleholder

Hi, I have this brass candle holder, about 6 inches tall, 5 1/2 inches wide. It has a recessed base that appears to be gilded. Is there a proper name for this winged maiden figure? And what is the period/style? I want to say Neoclassical, but am far from sure. It is heavy for its size, and seems to be pretty good quality, not the best I've seen, but better than a lot.

Thanks for any help.

 

She's called a caryatid.

 

Thanks, Bakers, I was wracking my brain trying to remember. My brain is not wrack able today.

 

I don't know that caryatid applies in this case. After all, it's just the head of a woman. I think of a caryatid as a standing female figure supporting a weight. I think this is more along the lines of a grotesquerie, at a reach... maybe a harpy. And more rococo in inspiration than neo-classical.

 

Thanks for your comments. I've been doing some searches and found that rococo candle holders tend to have cherubs more than the winged maiden, and I saw some winged maidens on pieces described as neoclassical. That's not to say that those folks are correct, but that's the trend.

I saw that the dictionary definition of caryatid does have the figure supporting something. In my searches I saw that most using the term did have the figure supporting something, but some were like my candleholder with the figure just as decoration.

 

Well, maybe the term is incorrect, but it's not "just" the head of a woman. There's enough torso to see that she's female. And I figured that "supporting" the cup for the candle qualified her for the term.

I think it's very pretty.

 

Nice looking thing. Can't tell if u wanted to know this or not but it looks fairly new to me.

 

Somewhere around I have something that is (broadly speaking) somewhat similar -- a pair of winged dragons. Brass. I bought them in a junk shop in the 60's -- and they certainly were not new. But, no clue beyond that as to age. (They are Most effective at Christmastime!)

 

May i assume "broadly speaking" infers their gender (dragonesses?) or perhaps I'm over-analyzing?

 

You are over-analyzing, however, given your predilections, you may consider them dragoons.

 

Very good, thanks, appreciated. Offspring = draglings? Draglets?

 

Draggles.