A pair of large directoire gilt bronze urns

A pair of large directoire gilt bronze urns – circa 1795-1799
Decorated with a frieze representing Apollo’s chariot, Mercury,
Clio the Muse of History, Urania the Muse of Astronomy
and a female personification of Geography

Height: 62 cm. (24 ½ in.) Diameter: 24.5 cm. (9 ¾ in.) Width and depth of base: 17.6 cm. (7 in.)

This pair of urns illustrates the transition in taste from the late 18th to the early 19th century. The register of the circular frieze depicting Clio, Urania and a personification of Geography is typical of the late Louis XVI style. The opposing section representing Apollo in his chariot and Mercury is closer to that of the Empire period.
Research in my documentation has not turned up any similar objects to date. Possibly an order made in France for export, the urns are unknown in the current literature.