Pair of candelabras 1950

Ossip Zadkine cast these bronze candelabras, presenting us with two figures frozen in a perpetual gesture of supplication or invocation. Their hands, raised high, evoke ancient rituals and pleas to the heavens, a motif as old as humanity itself. Consider the orans, a posture of prayer found in early Christian art, where figures stand with arms outstretched. This gesture transcends its religious origins, surfacing in various cultural contexts to signify hope, surrender, or a reaching out to something beyond the tangible. The expressive, almost desperate reaching is an enduring symbol across time, a potent reminder of our shared human vulnerability and desire for connection, resonating on a subconscious level, stirring primal emotions and memories. The image is not static; it's a dynamic echo reverberating through the corridors of time.