Very heavy bronze urn thing, funeral ashes of caviar?

THis thing is about 2 foot high, or a bit under, and the bronze part is standing on a black marble base, and the base looks like the black Belgian limestone used for black marble clocks.

Under the detachable lid is a removable gilt brass bowl for something or other.



That's about the actual colour but a spot of flash shows the details a lot better.




The insert and inside the lid.



The base, and taken apart.








And a bit more detail of the scene.





I think it is probably 19th C French, but what for? Bronze scrap or blackened treasure? Should I save it for my ashes?

 

Quite the deluxe "home for eternity."

Not for caviar, though. Metal and caviar don't mix.

What's that thing sticking out of the bottom?

 

That's the rod that goes through the marble base.

 

That's Poseidon, that is. Yer man with the trident and conch shell. He's with a Nereid, so might be his missus. The other side, though, has maeneds, and the handles are plants, the name of which escapes me. So, there's some confusing emblems and references, to say the least, given that normally the motif of a decoration helps with purpose. Unless, of course, it IS for something fishy. It's very well done.

 

The gilding of the detachable bowl made me think of caviar, its a metal that can live with the stuff.

 

Is the lid really heavy? If so, I would be a really impractical food serving piece. I think it stood on column by a door, for some oddball purpose, lol maybe chalk for the fencing room.

 

af, is there room under the gilded bowl for ice? That would favour caviar. Certainly, caviar serving spoons are either gilded or horn.

 

Can we see the other side of the decoration?

 

Possibly the brass bowl held the ice and a smaller glass bowl with caviar rested on top of the ice?

--- Susan

 

Looks like the sort of thing (possibly partial pair) that would have been on a plinth in a foyer or salon, filled with flora when afforded, covered when cost conscious

 

That makes sense to me, giving it a more finished look when not holding flowers.