Antique French Napoleon III Liqueur Stand, Caddy or Tantalus, Barrel & Cups: Mule Figural Stand

Here we have a whimsical and wonderful antique Palais Royal Grand Tour souvenir that's sure to tickle your fancy, and a great conversation piece for your home and use. This smaller sized mule or donkey figure with gilt harness & ormolu pannier or pack saddle filled with a liqueur barrel and eight service cups is just the thing to bring out with an aperitif at your next dinner party, n'est pas? Charming as can be, his spigot works smoothly, clean enough to actually use barrel, which holds about a pint of liqueur. The base is slightly weighted and heavy enough to stand steadily, and is 7 3/8" x 5 3/8". The set is 12" tall overall, and the white metal mule figure alone is roughly 8.25” long from head to tail, so it's a great set for the table or desktop. There is no damage or loss to the figure, his base or wonderful gilded harness.  We've had a few sets similar to this one over the years, figures ranging from the ever popular horse with carriage, mule or donkey, Blackamoors & camels (we’ve listed fine examples of the two latter figures today so be sure to take a peek at them while you’re with us! Fabulous decorative accents! If you have those little animal carriage open salts, you're going to HAVE to have this to go along!  Likely from the 1800s prestigious shops of the famed Palais Royal in Paris, formerly the palace of Cardinal Richelieu, and a grand promenade & shopping place of the wealthy and 'substantial' among Grand Tour visitors as well as Grand Parisians. Delightful and RARE, don't miss it!

Very good condition. Nearly pristine really! The bamboo shaped bronze wire framework may be very slightly bent here and there, possibly a tiny rim chip or two on the cups but the stopper is intact and the barrel spigot works just fine. I've looked very closely and it appears that there may be a small hairline crack just near the stopper on the liqueur barrel.  The twisted brass wire that holds the barrel is newer but the same as would have been originally.  The cups' enamel decoration might not be an exact match on all, sometimes these are replacements.  No damage to the figure or base. See pictures for all measurements.