China, Canton
Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) – Qianlong Period, late 18th Century

Height : 205 cm (80,7 in.) ; Panel width : 55 cm (21,6 in.) ; Depth : 1,8 cm (0,7 in.)
Total width : 55 x 8 = 440 cm (173,2 in.)

Beautiful eight-panel Chinese lacquer screen featuring a large, continuous landscape (shanshui) richly animated with scenes of daily Chinese life, depicting scholars, traditional pavilions, bridges, and weeping willows set against mountainous backdrops. The main scene is framed by a frieze of leafy scrollwork and cartouches depicting animals in landscapes, a style typical of export pieces. The reverse side of the screen is adorned with large motifs of flowering branches and birds.

The format of this large, multi-panel screen, combined with this very specific style of gold decoration on a black lacquer background known as miaojin, is entirely characteristic of works intended for the European market via the East India Companies, a tradition that reached its peak during the 18th century and continued to be produced throughout the 19th century.

Commentary

During the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1735–1796), the Qing Dynasty experienced one of its most prosperous periods. The Chinese Empire reached its territorial peak, enjoyed strong economic growth, and was marked by remarkable developments in the arts, crafts, and imperial manufacturing.
This era was also marked by a significant expansion of trade with the West. Although foreign trade was strictly controlled by the Canton System, European merchants, particularly British, French, Dutch, and Portuguese, imported large quantities of highly sought-after goods, including porcelain, silks, lacquerware, ivory objects, furniture, and tea, which had become a major consumer product in Europe. Chinese workshops sometimes adapted their creations to Western tastes, producing objects specifically intended for export, decorated with European motifs or bearing the coats of arms of noble families. This trade helped spread the refinement of Chinese art throughout Europe and had a lasting influence on Western decorative arts in the 18th century.

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Crystal Manufactory

« Piccadilly »  Roemer Glass Set

France
Circa 1980

Crystal 

Height : 20 cm (7,8 in.) ; Diameter : 8,3 cm (3,2 in.)

Rare set of 31 Rhine wine glasses, known as “Roemer,” made of clear cut crystal and lined in various colors (amethyst, anise green, cobalt blue, ruby red, emerald green, orange) from the Baccarat factory, Piccadilly model. The flared bowl is adorned with deep, vertical, beveled cuts that pierce through the colored layer, revealing the clear crystal beneath. The base of the glass is decorated with a wide band of finely cut diamond-pointed crosshatching, creating multiple reflections. Each glass rests on a slender, smooth stem of clear crystal, ending in a flat, circular base.

The Piccadilly collection, featured in the official Baccarat catalog since 1933, includes a wide variety of tableware pieces, such as wine glasses, champagne flutes and bowls, Roemer glasses, as well as water pitchers and carafes. This set is often paired with the Buckingham and Balmoral models on formal dining tables. This collection of cut glass was in production for a very long time and remained on the market until 1991.

Biography

The famous Baccarat crystal glassworks, whose origins date back to the 18th century, won its first gold medal at the 1823 Industrial Products Exhibition, where it was praised for “the brilliance and finesse of its crystal” and became France’s leading crystal glassworks. Baccarat was undoubtedly the only French manufacturer at the time to be consistently and masterfully represented at the various exhibitions in which it participated, thereby earning honors and prestigious awards. A key phrase, “the perfection of the material and the cut,” recurs in all reports from the World’s Fairs between 1855 and 1867, where Baccarat crystal dominated due to the quality of its crystal, deemed superior to that of Bohemia and England.

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Painter (1703-1761)

« The First Meeting »
« The Reading »

Austrian school
Signed F.C. Janneck fc

Circa 1740
Oil on copper

Height : 25,8 cm (10,1 in.) ; Width : 31,2 cm (12,3 in.)
With frame – Height : 36,5 cm (14,4 in.) ; Width : 43,5 cm (17,1 in.)

Elegant pair of oil-on-copper paintings depicting two rural genre scenes, “The First Meeting” and “Reading.” “The First Meeting” depicts the moment when two young people, likely betrothed to one another, meet for the first time. The father, mustachioed and potbellied, invites his daughter to meet the young man he has chosen for her. Somewhat aloof, she turns her back to us and fixes an unflinching gaze on the suitor, her hand on her hip as a sign of reluctance. The young lady-in-waiting, who is adjusting her dress, steals a glance at the young man, who, with a charming air, pulls a bottle of wine from the stream where it had been cooling. Will his good nature and the wine be enough to win over the young woman? The outcome of this encounter may lie in the landscape, enhanced by delicate glazes ranging from blue to cream, depicting a vast landscape and a wide blue sky, perhaps mirroring the young man’s psyche,in contrast to the young woman’s tormented and hostile state of mind, symbolized by the forest.

 “The Reading” could be seen as the future of its counterpart. Here, the couple is already established, the parents of the little boy and girl, in the midst of a reading session. Everyone is absorbed in the young woman’s story; the weather is pleasant, wine is being enjoyed, and loyalty reigns, as evidenced by the dog; in short, it’s a time for relaxation. Far removed from the preconceptions of a first encounter, “The Reading” extols the virtues and joys of family life and marriage.

As with many 17th- and 18th-century works inspired by the Northern Schools, humor and morality intertwine in pictorial aphorisms, suggesting that this pair of copper plates encouraged its, or rather, its original female, owner to remain hopeful about the future, even if, at first glance, a marriage of convenience might put an end to other aspirations.  

related work

Another pair of paintings, this time on panel, is housed at the Belvedere in Vienna (inv. nos. 4179 and 4181), where Janneck once again demonstrates his skill in rendering glazes.   

biography 

Franz Christoph Janneck was a painter born in Graz in 1716. He trained in the studio of Matthias Vangus in Vienna, where he was active from 1721 to 1728. He then studied under Joseph Orient in Frankfurt am Main until 1731. It is likely that he was then introduced to the paintings of the Northern Schools—Flemish, Dutch, and Rhenish—which greatly influenced his work. Most of his surviving works show a marked Flemish influence, particularly from painters such as Jan Brueghel the Elder and David Teniers the Younger. In 1736, he returned to Vienna, where he died in 1761.

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Crystal Manufactory

« Harcourt Empire » Glass Set

France
Circa 1970

Crystal

Elegant set of clear cut crystal glassware from Baccarat’s Harcourt collection, in its sumptuous fine-gold-plated version called Harcourt Empire, consisting of :

–    18 champagne flutes
–    16 water glasses
–    20 red wine glasses
–    24 white wine glasses
–    10 liqueur glasses
–    2 decanters with stoppers
–    2 pitchers

Characteristic of this model, the bowl, adorned with gold trim along the rim, is cut with broad, flat ribs featuring delicate symmetrical arabesque motifs, palmettes, and interlacing patterns applied with great precision, creating a flared and powerful silhouette that beautifully captures the light. The stem, short and sturdy on the wine and water glasses, more slender on the flutes, is faceted and features a very pronounced triple central knob. Each piece rests on the iconic hexagonal base, the model’s true geometric signature. The base of this hexagon is highlighted by a gold band.

The Harcourt model was created in 1841 to fulfill a commission for King Louis-Philippe. It is the oldest Baccarat model still in production. The gold “Empire” decoration was introduced later, in 1925. Baccarat began systematically applying this acid-etched stamp to its entire production starting in 1936. Prior to that date, pieces generally bore a paper label that would wash off.

biography

The famous Baccarat crystal glassworks, whose origins date back to the 18th century, won its first gold medal at the 1823 Industrial Products Exhibition, where it was praised for “the brilliance and finesse of its crystal” and became France’s leading crystal glassworks. Baccarat was undoubtedly the only French manufacturer at the time to be consistently and masterfully represented at the various exhibitions in which it participated, thereby earning honors and prestigious awards. A key phrase, “the perfection of the material and the cut,” recurs in all reports from the World’s Fairs between 1855 and 1867, where Baccarat crystal dominated due to the quality of its crystal, deemed superior to that of Bohemia and England.

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Crystal Manufactory
(attributed to)

Orientalist Chandelier

France
Circa 1890

Gilded, Crystal

Height : 80 cm (31,5 in.) ; Diameter : 60 cm (23,6 in.)

Charming Orientalist chandelier in chiseled and gilded bronze, clear and “ruby” crystal. The shaft consists of six tubular gilded bronze mounts shaped in curves and counter-curves, from which extend six light arms ending in corolla-shaped bobèches and fluted binets. The top is crowned by a spherical globe from which the upper volutes emerge. The entire chandelier is embellished with a network of fine chains with twisted links, from which hang numerous pendants and drops in smooth and cut crystal, both clear and “ruby.” 

The Oriental-inspired style of this chandelier is evident in the complex interweaving of its sinuous lines and in its warm color scheme, which combines the brilliance of gilded bronze with the depth of tinted crystals. This type of design reflected the era’s fascination with a romanticized vision of the Orient, evoking the opulence of Moorish or Ottoman palaces.

Biography

The famous crystal manufacture of Baccarat, that dates back to the 18th century, was awarded its first medal in 1823, during the “Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie” for the “brilliance and the sharpness of its crystal” and became then the most renowned French “cristallerie”. Baccarat was undoubtedly the only French manufacture, that exhibited steadily and magnificently its products at the various Universal Exhibitions, and especially between 1855 and 1867. Reports of the Universal Exhibition, from 1855 to 1867, talk about the “perfection of the material and of its cut”, considered superior of those from Bohemia or England.

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Painter (1816-1899)

« The young Horsewoman » and « The Girl with the Hat »

 French school
Signed C^t Brochart

Circa 1870

Pastel on paper 

Height : 45 cm (17,7 in.) ; Width : 31,5 cm (12,4 in.)
With frame – Height : 74 cm (29,1 in.) ; Width : 56 cm (22 in.)

This charming pair of pastels forms a perfect pair and brilliantly illustrates the talent of Constant Joseph Brochart, a 19th-century portraitist. A specialist in ethereal, idealized female figures, the artist here embraces the Neo-Rococo style that so fascinated the bourgeoisie of the Second Empire, drawing inspiration from the elegance of the age of Watteau and Fragonard.

“The Young Horsewoman,” depicted in a three-quarter view, casts a gentle yet confident glance at the viewer. She is dressed in an elegant, whimsical ensemble consisting of a white satin jacket with silvery sheen, cinched at the waist with a wide coral-colored sash. The voluminous lace ruff, reminiscent of the 17th century, and the gray felt hat, adorned with ostrich feathers, frame her porcelain-complexioned face. She delicately holds a riding crop in her right hand, adding a touch of playfulness to the composition.

Echoing the first piece perfectly, “The Girl with the Hat” features a young woman in an 18th-century-inspired outfit. She wears a sumptuous blue dress, richly embroidered with gold motifs and accented by abundant ruffles of lace at the cuffs. Her innocent face is accentuated by a charming woven straw hat adorned with a garland of fresh roses. The treatment of the fabrics is remarkable, playing on the transparency of the muslin and the weightiness of the embroidered silk. She holds a small dog in her arms, adding to her air of purity.

With this pair of portraits, Brochart demonstrates his mastery of the pastel technique, his medium of choice for capturing the softness of the skin and the fluidity of fabrics. The skillfully directed light caresses the faces of these two elegant women, bringing out the vibrancy of the colors.

Biography

Constant Joseph Brochart was born in 1816 in Pecq, in the province of Hainaut, and died in 1899 in Paris. Student at the Beaux-Art in Lille, where he won a first-class medal in 1837, he exhibited at the Salon from 1845 to 1862. Considered the driving force behind the revival of pastel painting in France by the Journal des Artistes (May 14, 1899), he specialized in portraits of elegant ladies, which brought him fame.

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Bronze-caster (1815 – 1903)
(attributed to)

“Drunken Hercules” Centerpiece

France
Circa 1870

Patinated and gilded bronze

Height : 42 cm (16,5 in.) ; Width : 37 cm (14,6 in.) ; Depth : 30 cm (11,8 in.)

An exceptional centerpiece in patinated and gilded bronze, showcasing a magnificent contrast between the brilliance of the gilding and the depth of the brown patina. The work is centered around a three-part allegorical and Bacchic composition.

Circular and flared in shape, the bowl mimics elegant openwork wickerwork. The rim is richly ornamented with a garland overflowing with vine branches, intermingling leaves and generous bunches of grapes in high relief. The naturalistic rendering of the vine evokes abundance and Dionysian festivities.

The body of the bowl is formed by two figures in the round, cast in patinated bronze, representing Hercules and a Bacchante. Seated and gracefully leaning against one another, the Bacchante is draped in ancient-style folds that partially reveal her nudity. Hercules, for his part, carries the pelt of the Nemean lion, which he slew during the first of his twelve labors. Their delicately raised arms support the basket in a fluid, theatrical gesture. The patina treatment highlights the softness of the flesh, contrasting with the mineral quality and brilliance of the gilded elements.

The ensemble rests on an imposing, scalloped, and undulating base made of richly gilded bronze. Inspired by the Rococo style, the pedestal is vigorously chiseled with powerful acanthus leaves, asymmetrical scrollwork, volutes, and shell motifs.

This piece is characteristic of the grand decorative style of the 19th century, particularly the Napoleonic III period, which embraced a blend of styles. It combines the opulence of the Louis XV ornamental style with classical figures inspired by Antiquity or the Renaissance. The exceptionally high quality of the chiseling and the alternating surface treatments, including matte gilding, glossy gilding, and patina, attest to the excellence of the bronze casters and gilders of that era.

Biography

Guillaume Denière (1815-1903) was the pupil of the famous ornementalist Aimé Chenavard (1798-1838) and of the architect Henri Labrouste (1801-1875). In 1844, Denière succeeded his father in the family workshop, established in 1804, at 15, rue Vivienne in Paris. The business was at this time prosperous and four hundred workers worked to satisfy the numerous commissions from King Louis-Philippe and the upper classes. He made bronze furnishings, candelabras and centrepieces. He collaborated with a number of artists, amongst whom Carrier-Belleuse (1848-1913) and Constant Sévin (1821-1888). He turned out several clocks for the Tuileries Palace in 1852, as well as a ‘globe’ clock with rotating dials for the Grand Salon of the Château of Bagatelle. Denière’s work was very often remarked upon at the Universal Exhibitions, so much so in fact that the Emporer Napoleon III bought, at the Paris Exhibition of 1867, a clock set. His renown was by this point international. Amongst his most prestigious commissions, Denière produced 1854 a spectacular bronze centrepiece for the Russian ambassador, Kisselef, and decorative bronzes for the Viceroy of Egypt, Saïd Pacha, as well as railings for the Throne Room for the King of Cambodia, Norodom I, in 1862. At the 1889 Universal Exhibition G. Denière won a gold medal.

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France
Circa 1880

Patinated and gilded bronze, crystal

Height : 136 cm (53,5 in.) ; Diameter : 115 cm (45,3 in.)

A thirty-six-light Oriental-inspired chandelier in patinated and gilded bronze and cut and faceted crystal, featuring two independent lighting circuits that can be lit together or separately. Centered around a baluster-style shaft adorned with foliage, acanthus leaves, gadroons, and a central element in patinated bronze, fluted and decorated with plant motifs, this splendid chandelier embodies the splendor and opulence of late 19th-century decorative arts.

From the central shaft extend two tiers of light arms in graceful scrollwork, terminating in leafy lampshades and embellished with crystal petals. The cascade of cut crystals is exceptionally rich. From the top, crystal beads, faceted prisms, almond-shaped pendants, and crystal daggers hang in abundance from each arm, each lampshade, and the central structure, creating a dazzling play of light. A sphere of cut crystal crowns the chandelier.

The term “Orientalism” emerged around 1830, although the 17th and 18th centuries had already developed the theme of “Turquerie” with great imagination. This style, steeped in exoticism and picturesque charm, can even be found in the decoration of the private apartments of Marie-Antoinette and the Count of Artois in the late 1780s. But it was truly in the 19th century, with the expedition

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Bronze-caster (1860-1905)
(attributed to)

Pair of wall sconces with goats

France
Circa 1870

Gilt Bronze

Height : 57 cm ( 22,4 in.) ; Width : 33 cm (12,9 in.) ; Depth : 19 cm (7,5 in.)

An elegant pair of Louis XVI-style wall sconces in chiseled and gilded bronze, each consisting of a thyrsus-shaped shaft centered with a feminine medallion, featuring fluting and scrollwork of leaves, surmounted by a pinecone. Topped with goat heads, the two twisted arms, adorned with acanthus scrolls and ending in cornucopias, are embellished with eagles holding a garland of flowers in their talons.

The design is based on a drawing attributed to Jean-Louis Prieur, circa 1780, held in the library of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Related work

Examples of this same model are now housed in major collections, such as this pair by Pierre Gouthière at the Château de Fontainebleau (inv. no. F 616 C.2) and the pair at the Cleveland Museum of Art (inv. no. 1944.469.1)

Biography

Henri Vian, a bronze artist active in the second half of the 19th century, created numerous interior decorative pieces: fireplaces, vases with bronze mounts, chandeliers, balustrades… all of the highest quality. His signature is usually in cursive, with the initial of his first name followed by his last name. On his later works, only the two initials “h.V.” appear. The firm, located at 5 Rue de Thorigny in Paris (the Hôtel Salé, now the Picasso Museum), continued under the direction of Madame Vian after her husband’s death in 1905.

Jean-Louis Prieur (1732–1795) was one of the most illustrious bronze casters of the Neoclassical period, born into a family of Parisian artisans specializing in the decorative arts. Active from about 1765 to 1775, he was admitted as a master sculptor at the Académie de Saint-Luc in 1765 and became a master foundryman “in clay and sand” in 1769. He is described as an “ornamental sculptor, modeler, and engraver.” Around 1770, he produced design drawings for bronze works. In 1777, he was living in the Faubourg Saint-Denis. Among other works, he created the gilded bronze ornaments for King Louis XVI’s Coronation Carriage. After his bankruptcy in 1778, Jean-Louis Prieur took refuge in the Enclos du Temple under the protection of the Count of Artois to escape his creditors and royal jurisdiction. His work as an ornamental artist then became his primary focus.

Bibliography

H. Ottomeyer, et alii, Vergoldete Bronzen, T. I, Klinkhardt & Biermann, Munich, 1986, p° 241.

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Bronze-caster (1822-1897)

« The Boules Game »

France
Circa 1870

Signed Détrier

Gilded and patinated bronze

Height : 35 cm (13,8 in.) ; Width: 38 cm (14,9 in.) ; Depth : 34 cm (13,4 in.)

Charming, intimate group in patinated bronze with golden highlights, depicting a genre scene that is fully in keeping with the 19th-century historicist style, which sought to recreate the elegance of the 18th century with nostalgia and precision. Two gentlemen dressed in mid-18th-century fashion, engaged in a game of boules, are seated around a game table, perfect example of miniaturized cabinetmaking, with its curved legs adorned with acanthus scrolls and asymmetrical shells typical of Rocaille art. The table’s apron is adorned with a frieze of godrons.

This bronze sculpture is a precious testament to the 19th-century fascination with the Siècle des Lumières, capturing the spirit of conversation, leisure, and elegance of that bygone era.

Biography

Pierre-Louis Détrier (1822–1897) was a bronze sculptor born in Vougécourt in Haute-Saône. A student of Guérard, he made his debut at the Salon in 1866 and received an honorable mention in 1885 for a marble group depicting La jeune mère (No. 3616). The Bulletin of the Historical and Archaeological Society of Langres wrote in 1890 that he “had made a name for himself among French sculptors” and highlighted his most notable works at the Salons des Champs-Élysées, including the aforementioned La jeune mère (1885), Le Nid (1889), and Grande Sœur (1890). He continued to exhibit there until 1896.

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Cabinet-maker (1839-1920)

Pair of display Pedestals

France
Circa 1880

Stamped G. DURAND

Mahogany, Gilded bronze

Height : 145 cm (57 in.) ; Width : 46 cm (18,1 in.) ; Depth : 30 cm (11,8 in.)

Beautiful pair of display pedestals in mottled mahogany, adorned with chiseled and gilded bronze in a neoclassical Louis XVI style. The rectangular top, bordered by a moldings, is accentuated by four acanthus-leaf clasps resting on a chamfered entablature. The main face is decorated with a central cartouche framed by a pearl frieze, featuring, on either side of a fire pot, two facing sphinxes whose tails extend into acanthus scrolls adorned with delicate vine tendrils and pearl friezes. The beveled corners are embellished with fluted bands featuring ivy leaves and draped fire pots set against a background of Greek motifs; they are extended at the bottom by serrated fluting ending in four lion’s claws terminating in acanthus leaves. They rest on a four-lobed base with toupie feet. 

This type of furniture, whose primary function was to display luxurious ceremonial objects, experienced significant growth in the 17th century, during the reign of Louis XIV. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, following the Rococo period—which was then considered too extravagant—tastes returned to the French classicism of the Grand Siècle. This interest was linked to the fashion for mahogany, inherited from Great Britain, which enjoyed great popularity from the late 18th century onward and continued into the 19th century.

biography

Gervais Durand (1839-1920) participated in the 1889 Universal Exhibition where he was awarded a silver medal. A. Picard’s exhibition report stated that, « Mr Durand, cabinet-maker, as skillful as modest, displays for the first time very fine furniture, which has been designed and made by him. He is walking in the footsteps of giants such as Beurdeley and Dasson ». Durand made almost exclusively reproductions of 18th Century masterpieces.

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Painter (1814-1878)

« Breakfasts in Marly »

French School
Signed J. Duval.L.C.

Exhibited at the Salon of 1846, no. 592

Oil on canvas

Dimensions with frame – Height : 157 cm (61,8 in.) ; Width : 170 cm (67 in.)

Large oval painting depicting a breakfast gathering in Marly’s park on a sunny morning. The guests, seated in a circle on the grass, are enjoying the pleasant summer weather, glasses of wine in hand. Perhaps they are already tipsy, as suggested by a gentleman’s belongings carelessly abandoned in the foreground, the overturned glass and the proximity of the group with rosy cheeks, where each person is almost slumped against their neighbor. This revelry, however, is not permitted for the youngest among them: the child, drawn to the bunch of grapes, a symbol of wine, is held back by his mother on the edge of the circle, who takes the fruit away from him. Not far behind flows a fountain where the next bottle is kept cool, ready to be brought by the attentive servants. A greyhound, a symbol of loyalty, looks away from the group, foreshadowing the events to come.

This painting follows in the pictorial tradition of “fêtes galantes”, a genre that emerged in France in the 18th century through the works of Watteau, Boucher, and Fragonard. The Age of Enlightenment was characterized by a liberation from social and moral constraints and from the rigors of etiquette; consequently, scenes depicting the good life, far removed from the austerity imposed by the court, were celebrated. Thus, the figures in our painting are all dressed in 18th-century fashion and wear wigs typical of the period. It is noteworthy that he mastered the harmony of colors, acid green, pale pink, and powder blue, and of light, a mastery already recognized by the jury of the Salon in 1838. This “personal palette” surely responded to the sensibilities of the 1840s.

The original gilded wooden frame adds to the work’s splendor: a garland of roses, daisies, fruits, and leaves, tied with a ribbon, extends the painting’s pastoral theme through a delightful interplay of volumes. The whole appears to be suspended by a pleated ribbon and bordered on either side by a frieze of pearls.

biography

Jules-Alexandre Duval Le Camus (1814–1878) was a French painter who received his training in the studio of his father, Pierre Duval Le Camus, and later studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in the studios of Drölling and Delaroche. In 1838, he placed second in the 1838 Prix de Rome for painting, and then exhibited at the Salon from 1840 through 1867. His particular focus was religious painting and history painting, which were frequently featured at the Salon as well as in several churches in France where his works are still on display. Following in his father’s footsteps, however, he also produced several genre scenes. He was also a major collector of drawings, which are now scattered among the world’s major museums.

bibliography

• «Beaux-Arts. Exposition du Louvre en 1846 » in L’Étoile : revue du progrès […], 1^ère année, 1^ère série, 22 March 1846, p. 118 ;
• « Beaux-arts. Salon de 1846» in M. de Murville, L’Indépendant, 19^e année, 17 avril 1846, p.1 ;
• « Beaux-arts. Salon de 1846. Septième article» in Gazette nationale ou le Moniteur universel, 27 April 1846, Paris, p. 1105 ;
• L’Illustration, Journal Universel, n°167, Vol. VII, 9 May 1846, Paris, pp. 153-154, repr. p.153.

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Compagnie des marbres Onyx d’Algérie (1879-1886)

Japanese style Planter

France – Circa 1880

Signed Sté des onyx ; H. Journet & Cie ; 24 Bd Italiens ; 3167

Gilded bronze, Algerian onyx

Height : 30 cm (11,8 in.) ; Width : 32 cm (12,6 in.) ; Depth : 28 cm (11 in.)

Beautiful planter made of banded Algerian onyx, mounted in gilded bronze. Resting on four legs connected by aprons with lamp-shaped bases in a fanciful Japanese-inspired style, this planter features two gilded bronze handles, each secured to the body by a Phô dog’s muzzle. The body tapers toward the neck and flares out into a continuous frieze of Japanese-style lambrequins.

It is signed with a stamp reading “Sté des onyx; H. Journet & Cie; 24 Bd Italiens; 3167,” which indicates the origin of the onyx, its gilt-bronze setting, and the model number.

Biography

The Compagnie des Marbres Onyx d’Algérie, led by Gustave Viot (1828–1897), was founded by Alphonse Pallu (1808–1880) on June 14, 1858. This company was involved in the mining of onyx, a stone known since ancient times and rediscovered in 1849 in the province of Oran, Algeria, by Del Monte, a marble craftsman. In 1863, it opened a store at 24 Boulevard des Italiens in Paris. In the mid-1860s, the company’s name changed to “G. Viot & Cie,” and it produced pieces based on models by renowned sculptors such as Eugène Cornu, Albert Carrier-Belleuse (1824–1887) (Victoria & Albert Museum, Inv. 9070-1863), Charles Cordier (1827–1905) (Orsay, Inv. RF 2996), and Louis-Ernest Barrias (1841–1905) (Orsay, Inv. RF 1409), producing highly luxurious decorative works characterized by the combination of onyx with bronze, and sometimes enamel. At their booth at the 1867 Paris World’s Fair, they presented an impressive pair of vases made of onyx, bronze, and enamel, featuring elephant-shaped bases (signed “G. Viot et Cie, 1867 Exhibition, Eugène Cornu, Inventor”; Official Exhibition Catalog, Group III, Class XIV, “luxury furniture,” No. 65), which was admired by the jury and earned them a gold medal (Reports of the International Jury, 1867 Paris World’s Fair, 1868, Vol. III, Group III, Class XV, Chapter II, § 2, pp. 45 & 46). In January 1879, Henri Journet became manager of the company, still located at 24 Boulevard des Italiens, which he renamed Henri Journet et Cie. He participated in the 1884 exhibition at the Palais de l’Industrie, where his work was once again acclaimed. In early 1886, the company closed its doors.

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Cabinet-maker and bronze-caster (1825-1896)

Louis XVI-style Commode 

France

Stamped H. DASSON and dated 1880

Mahogany, Gilded bronze, Marble

Height : 94 cm (37 in.) ; Width : 152 cm (59,8 in.) ; Depth : 55 cm (21,7 in.)

Exceptional Louis XVI-style commode in flamed mahogany veneer with a slight central bulge, featuring three doors topped by drawers adorned with rich chiseled and mercury-gilded bronze ornamentation depicting ribbon-wrapped branches and garlands of roses. The doors, framed by gilded bronze foliage moldings, are adorned with festoons of flowers, fruits, and leaves suspended from ribbons. The corners are supported by elegant and intricate fluted columns with foliage motifs and lion’s paws, topped with Corinthian capitals. The same decorative motif continues along the sides, which are also adorned with pilasters featuring floral motifs of antique-style vases. The apron is adorned with a wreath of roses surrounded by lily branches. The entire piece rests on six toupie feet with leaf-motif bases and is topped with a Sarrancolin marble top underlined ed by a frieze of ovals.

This commode by Henry Dasson, with its remarkably well-preserved original bronze mounts, brilliantly illustrates the virtuosity of the great Parisian workshops of the late 19th century, where cabinetmaking and bronze work for furniture reached a level of perfection rarely equaled. The quality of the chiseling on the gilded bronze is much more than a mere decorative embellishment : it plays a full part in the piece’s architecture and stylistic language.

related work

This commode by Henry Dasson, also reproduced by other great 19th-century cabinetmakers such as Joseph Emmanuel Zwiener and François Linke, is inspired by a model by Martin Carlin, whose lacquered panels were purchased by the Darnault brothers at the estate sale of the Duc d’Aumont in 1782. It was delivered in 1785 for the grand cabinet of Madame Victoire (1733–1799), daughter of Louis XV, at the Château de Bellevue, now housed at the Louvre Museum (OA 5498).

biography

Cabinet-maker and bronze-caster, Henry Dasson (1825-1896) executed in his Paris workshop sumptuous copies of royal 18th century models and some pieces of his own modified 18th century design. For his pieces of furniture, he used the very finest ormolu mounts with high quality mercurial gilding. He mainly produced in the Louis XV and Louis XVI style. His participation at the Paris 1878 Universal Exhibition was highly remarked with Louis XVI style decorative objects and a table, all made of bronze and considered as a «chasing masterpiece», as well as a copy of the famous King Louis XV desk (original piece exhibited at Versailles), which was also admired by critics. At the 1889 Universal Exhibition, he won a «grand Prix» for his outstanding furniture. Dasson closed down his business in 1894.

Martin Carlin (1730–1785) was a renowned French cabinetmaker of German origin who was granted master status in 1766. At the request of the marchands-merciers Poirier and Daguerre, art dealers based on Rue Saint-Honoré, Martin Carlin specialized in high-end furniture. In his luxurious furniture, he frequently incorporated painted porcelain plaques, lacquered panels, or semi-precious stone mosaics. He designed his furniture at the request of the social elite of the time: the royal family (Marie-Antoinette, Marie-Joséphine of Savoy, Countess of Provence, Madame Adélaïde, and Madame Victoire for their Château de Bellevue), the high aristocracy (the Duchess of Mazarin), and prominent women (Madame du Barry, the actress Marie-Josèphe Laguerre). After his death in 1785, his son, Georges-Antoine Carlin, took over the family workshop to carry on his father’s work until the early 19th century, and his widow remarried Gaspard Schneider, a cabinetmaker (who became a master craftsman in 1786), who also took over the workshop and worked for Daguerre, continuing the work of his predecessor. 

bibliography

– D. Alcouffe, A. Dion-Tennenbaum, A. Lefébure, Le Mobilier du Musée du Louvre, T.1, Edition Faton, 1993,  p 254-257.

– Alexandre Pradère, Les ébénistes français de Louis XV à la Révolution, Éditions Le Chêne, 1989,  p 343-361.

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Chairmaker (1743 – 1802)
(attributed to)

Set of Six Cabriolet Armchairs

France
Circa 1780

Beech

Height : 93 cm (36,6 in.) ; Width : 59 cm  (23,2 in.) ; Depth : 53 cm (20,8 in.)

Rare set of six cabriolet armchairs in carved beech, painted cream white. Resting on four tapered, fluted legs, the flared seat is supported by a set of traverses adorned with a frieze of water leaves and featuring, at the base, a trophy of arms composed of torches, a quiver with feathers, and a mask. The armrests and their consoles extend from connecting blocks adorned with a rosette and are molded all the way up to the oval backrest, known as a medallion. At the top of the backrest sits a second trophy of attributes, combining a torch, quiver, scroll, and wreath of leaves. The seat, backrest, and armrests are upholstered in blue velvet with a floral design.

related works

The finesse of the wood carving is comparable to that of the chairmaker Jean-Baptiste III Lelarge (1743–1802), who was admitted as a master in 1775; a side chair similar to our rare set is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (inv. no. 23. 147.3), or to the elegant pair of gilded wooden armchairs at the Nissim de Camondo Museum (inv. nos. CAM 648.1 and CAM 648.2).

Side chair, of a pair
J.-B. III Lelarge
Circa 1775-1780
New-York, Metropolitan Museum, no.inv. 23.147.3

© Les Arts Décoratifs / Jean Tholance

Pair of cabriolet armchairs
J.-B. III Lelarge
Circa 1780
Paris, Musée Nissim de Camondo, no.inv. CAM 648.1 et CAM 648.2

Biography

Jean-Baptiste III Lelarge was one of the finest chairmakers of the reign of Louis XVI. He succeeded his father, Jean-Baptiste II Lelarge, and worked for a wealthy clientele in France and abroad, including the King of Portugal. Jean-Baptiste Lelarge’s chairs are, for the most part, exceptionally beautiful: sturdy yet not heavy, rigorously constructed, and impeccably assembled, they are adorned with simple moldings or fine, incisive carvings, well-distributed and never overloaded. In Lelarge’s designs, there is a predominance of chairs with medallion backs, which are found in fairly large numbers today. This backrest is frequently supported by two curved posts, carved with acanthus leaves. 

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France
Circa 1890

Gilt Bronze, Cloisonné enamel

Height : 67 cm (23,4 in.) ; Length : 69 cm (27,2 in.) ; Width : 54 cm (21,2 in.)

Beautiful pair of gilded bronze and cloisonné enamel wall sconces of Oriental inspiration. Five light arms extend from an elegant central scroll, terminating in bowls decorated with polychrome cloisonné enamel depicting a floral motif of Orientalist inspiration. Each basin is topped by a bobèche, evoking a chalice or a flower. These correspond to the four plant-shaped bells arranged on either side of the central axis, as well as to the budding stem at the top and the rows of pearls. The entire assembly is held in place by a wall hook at the center of an openwork cartouche, which forms the wall sconce itself. Slightly fluted volutes and clasps soften the ends, culminating in delicate blossoming flowers.

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Sculptor ( ?-1897)

“Triton and Mermaid” Sconces

France
Circa 1890

Signed G. de Kerveguen

Bronze

Height : 56 cm (22 in.) ; Width : 52 cm (20,4 in.) ; Depth : 33 cm (12,9 in.)

A rare pair of wall sconces in patinated, silvered and gilded bronze depicting a Triton and a Mermaid as a matching set, each sconce featuring three light arms.

The pair, remarkably rendered in the round, adopts the same dynamic and picturesque pose, blowing into a conch shell. The figures, rendered with vigorous modeling, seem to emerge from aquatic foliage, undulating stems, and plant scrolls that ingeniously form the light arms. The contrast between the warm, nuanced brown patina of the bodies and the brilliant gilding of the foliage enhances the sculptural richness of the ensemble.

Biography

Georges De Kerveguen (?–1897) was a sculptor and decorative bronze artist active in France during the second half of the 19th century. His work is part of the eclectic and historicist tradition that characterized the decorative arts during the Second Empire and the early years of the Third Republic. He is particularly appreciated for his ornamental compositions inspired by Greco-Roman mythology, maritime motifs, and classical allegories.

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Painter (1816-1889)

« Last Days of Happiness in Pompeii »

Belgian School
Signed and dated 1863

Exhibited at the 1863 Salon, no. 452

Oil on canvas

Height : 118 cm (46,5 in.) ; Length : 135 cm (53,1 in.)

A beautiful painting depicting a scene of family life in an idealized Pompeian interior, featuring wall panels typical of the Fourth Style, framing mythological scenes such as a Venus in a shell, friezes of parading figures, and chimeras. Lying on a bed, a couple rests, in front of whom two naked children on a sumptuous leopard skin and a young girl innocently play knucklebones, a very popular ancient pastime often depicted in Roman art. On the left, a young boy brandishes an imposing grotesque theater mask, causing a small dog to bark. A servant stands on the left, holding a bowl of fruit, a symbol of abundance and refinement.

This work is a perfect example of 19th-century academic painting, and more specifically of the Neo-Greek movement (or “Pompeian style”). Strongly influenced by the archaeological discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum, Coomans specialized in the idealized and anecdotal depiction of ancient domestic life. Far from grand heroic or mythological narratives, the painter offers here an intimate genre scene, celebrating Roman otium (leisure time).

biography

Pierre-Olivier-Joseph Coomans (1813–1889) was a Belgian genre and history painter who trained under Nicaise de Keyser and Baron Wappers at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. In 1843, Queen Louise-Marie d’Orléans sent him to Algeria to follow the French army in Kabylie. There he met the military painter Horace Vernet. His three stays in Algeria (1843, 1844, and 1845) introduced Orientalism into his work. He was awarded a vermeil medal at the 1848 Brussels Salon for Dernière charge d’Attila à la bataille de Châlons-sur-Marne.
In 1855, he settled in the vicinity of Naples, and the Roman frescoes of Pompeii led him to gradually abandon Orientalism in favor of romantic Neapolitan scenes, and then a new genre known as the “Pompeian style.”
In 1860, he settled in Paris and began to move toward academic classicism. From October 1888 to June 1889, he stayed in Philadelphia and New York, where he painted mainly portraits.

bibliography

– J. Girard de Rialle, À travers le Salon de 1863, Paris, 1863, pp.63-64 ;
– Explication des ouvrages de peinture […] exposés au palais des Champs-Élysées le 1er Mai 1863, Paris, 1863, p. 57, no. 452.

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Cabinet-maker and Bronze-caster (1855-1946)
(attributed to)

State Console Table

France
Circa 1890

Marble, Gilded Wood

Height : 90 cm (35,4 in.) ; Width : 180 cm (70,8 in.) ; Depth : 63,5 cm (25 in.)

Beautiful, stately Regency-style console table carved from gilded wood. The base rests on four double-curved legs, whose movement is accentuated by abundant carving of veined acanthus leaves. These plant motifs follow the curve of the wood and extend into robust scrolls, giving the piece an impression of controlled suppleness and monumentality. The piece is stabilized by an X-shaped brace, whose sinuous arms meet at the center via volutes forming a large, finely carved palm, revealing here the full dexterity of its cabinetmaker.

The gilded wooden band, ingeniously openwork in a rigorously symmetrical composition characteristic of the Regency style, displays a rich floral decoration where the material is perfectly mastered. Vigorous acanthus scrolls punctuated by cascades and garlands of flowers run beneath the rim of the top. In the center, a mascaron featuring a gentle female face carved in high relief emerges from the flowers. The piece is topped by a molded “Fleur de Pêcher” marble top with a scalloped edge.

Related work

Inventory photograph by François Linke, console table no. 1890.

The quality of the wood carving on our console table is comparable to the work of François Linke, a master cabinetmaker renowned for his finesse and openwork. While he has a perfect command of traditional styles, he surpasses them here by adding a remarkable interplay of volumes, bringing the plant motifs to life. Like Linke’s cataloged pieces, such as this Louis XV-style console table (inv. no. 1890), the carving of the wood at its peak contributes to the craftsman’s renown.  

Biography

François Linke, born in 1855 in Bohemia (Czechoslovakia), worked as a cabinet-maker in Paris from about 1882 until his death in 1946. In 1900, at the apex of his career, he opened a new shop at the famous Parisian place Vendôme. He specialized in Louis XV and Louis XVI style furniture: all pieces were beautifully mounted with gilt-bronze ornaments, and he received numerous commissions. Later Linke decided to collaborate with the well-known sculptor Léon Messagé and integrated new lines and shapes announcing the “Art Nouveau” style. His great success is definitely the 1900 Universal Exhibition where he was awarded the gold medal for his extraordinary kingwood desk, designed by Messagé. At this occasion, the “Revue artistique et industrielle” commented that “Linke’s stand is the biggest show in the history of art furniture”.

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Designers and Art object Editors (Active from 1799 to 1885)
(attributed to)

Vase with Tritons

France
Circa 1860

Crystal, Bronze

Height : 86,5 cm (34 in.) ; Width : 32 cm (12,6 in.) ; Depth : 30 cm (11,8 in.)

A large, faceted amphora-shaped vase in ruby red crystal. It is adorned with a dense network of gold-painted decorations featuring arabesques, fleurons, and interlacing patterns. The slender, slightly flared neck is adorned with a gilded bronze band featuring arabesques, foliage, floral motifs, and large star-shaped fleurons at its base. Two tritons in the round adorn the sides; their bodies extend into acanthus leaves, and handles in the form of plant scrolls spring from their arms.

The ensemble rests on a chiseled and gilded bronze pedestal composed of three parts: a base adorned with a frieze of interlaced palmettes, surmounted by figures supporting decorative festoons, and topped by a collar decorated with water leaves.

Biography

Alphonse Giroux and Company, famous curiosity and luxury goods shop was situated in Paris, at No. 7 rue du Coq-Saint-Honoré and in business from the time of the Consulate until the end of the Second Empire. The company was founded by Francois-Simon-Alphonse and continued in 1838 by his two sons, Alphonse-Gustave (1810-1886) and André (1801-1879). The father became a close associate of the royal family and specialized in the manufacture of refined items for gifts. Kings Louis XVIII and then Charles X were both supplied with gifts for « The Children of France » by Giroux. Making progressively small furniture, they were mentioned for the first time in 1837 in the class « cabinet-makers » in the Paris Almanach. It was Alphonse-Gustave, however, who really expanded the activities of the firm as is testified by the report of the jury at the 1839 Products of Industry Exhibition awarding him another silver medal. Alphonse was also quick to participate in the famous and soon figured among the best in the luxury goods business. After buying a writing desk at the 1855 Universal Exhibition Napoleon IIIrd bought several other pieces of furniture, candelabras and clocks from Giroux for the Compiègne Palace. In 1857 Alphonse Giroux transferred his shop to No. 43, boulevard des Capucines where he continued to do business until 1867, when he ceded the company to Duvinage and Harinkouck.

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Designer and Art object Editor
(attributed to)

Planter

China, Daoguang Era (1820-1850)
France, circa 1875

Patinated and gilt bronze, cloisonné enamel

Height : 41,5 cm (16,3 in.) ; Width : 50 cm (19,7 in.) ; Depth : 34 cm (13,4 in.)

An elegant planter consisting of a polychrome enamel bowl with a patinated and gilded bronze frame. It rests on four volute feet with elephant heads, finished in a black patina accented with gold on the salient parts. The elephants are connected by openwork, gilded Oriental-style lambrequins suspended from a series of friezes featuring pearls, medallions, and heart-shaped motifs. The planter is adorned with an elegant enamel decoration on a blue background, cloisonné in gold, with motifs of flowering branches and butterflies. Two medallions on a black background stand out, ornated with the same iconographic repertoire. The handles take the form of two oriental bronze dragons, patinated and gilded like the elephants forming the feet. The creatures are held to the rim of the planter by their tails.

Europe has a long tradition of casting all manner of objects in bronze, from coconuts to nautiluses and even Chinese porcelain. The bronze artist’s task was to enhance these curiosities and masterpieces from afar. Heirs to this practice, the foundries and bronze artisans of the late 19th century were no exception to the rule: Barbedienne, Maison Marnyhac, and L’Escalier de Cristal were among the firms that devoted themselves to this practice, adapting it to the tastes of the era. As a result, many blue-enameled objects with floral decorations characteristic of 19th-century Chinese production were mounted, such as tea tables, pedestal tables, or planters.

biography

L’Escalier de Cristal, Parisian firm created about 1800 by Mme veuve Desarnaud, famous under the French « Restoration » for its decorative objects combining crystal and bronze. She was awarded a gold medal at the 1819 Paris Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie for an outstanding gilt-bronze mounted crystal dressing table. Located in Paris, at the Palais-Royal, Galerie de Valois, L’Escalier de Cristal was bought out around 1830 by Boin, and then by Lahoche in 1840. The company owed its rise to a position amongst the most important Paris decorative wares shops to Lahoche, who expanded considerably the business and entered later in partnership with his son-in-law to set up in 1852 Lahoche et Pannier. In 1872 Emile Pannier led alone the firm, and then his sons from 1885 to 1923, whom gave the name of Pannier Frères to the company, located at the corner of Scribe and Auber streets, next to the new built Paris Opera house. L’Escalier de Cristal suggesting also since the 1880’s furniture and art bronze pieces, was several times awarded medals at the various International Exhibitions held in Paris, London and New York, and for instance a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition. Numerous artists, such Emile Gallé, Louis Majorelle and Gabriel Viardot worked for the L’Escalier de Cristal’s worldwide renown, and introduced then some of their greatest Japanese style creations (adorned with « cloisonné » enamels, Japanese motifs,…).

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Bronze-caster (1860-1905)
(attributed to)

Elegant Chandelier

France
Circa 1880

Gilded bronze, Marble

Height : 117 cm (46 in.) ; Diameter : 110 cm (43,3 in.)

Elegant twelve-light Louis XVI-inspired chandelier in marble and gilded bronze, composed of a hemispherical bowl ending in a gilt-bronze finial formed by a gadrooned rosette centered with a seed motif. It is circled by a wide ribbon-tied torus of laurel leaves from which spring the six double scrolling, foliate light-arms. The bowl is suspended by six elegant articulated chains composed of flat oval links alternating with openwork diamond shapes and rosettes, attached by seed motifs to a sphere. The whole is crowned by a large upper canopy adorned with an openwork gallery of volutes and scrolling foliage.

Biography

Henri Vian, a bronze-caster active in the second half of the 19th Century, made a lot of interior decorations with chimney mantelpieces, ormolu and patinated-mounted vases, chandeliers,… He produced articles of the highest quality. The business, located at 5 rue de Thorigny in Paris (the Salé Mansion, now the Picasso Museum), was continued by Madame Vian after her husband’s death in 1905.

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Bronze-casters (19th Century)
(attributed to)

« Acanthus » Chandelier

France
Circa 1870

Crystal, Patinated and gilded Bronze

Height : 130 cm (51,2 in.) ; Diameter : 100 cm (39,4 in.)

Exceptional Louis XVI-inspired twelve-light chandelier in “canon de fusil” patinated and gilded bronze, richly adorned with rosettes, garlands, pearls, prisms, and cut faceted crystal pendants. The central shaft, composed of a basin draped with engraved interlacing motifs and ending in a finial decorated with foliage and tassels, is surmounted by a fluted column crowned with an urn. It supports two tiers of six twisted light-arms with double scrolls, highlighted with acanthus leaves, featuring palm leaves with hanging seed motifs, and embellished with quivers and torches. The upper section of the chandelier is formed by finely chased lambrequins suspended between three architecturally designed supports lavishly decorated with cascading acanthus leaves and tassels. The top flares into a plume of swirling acanthus leaves.

biography

Lacarrière established a factory in 1825 at 3 bis, rue Sainte-Elisabeth. He specialized and excelled in the application of bronze in lighting fixtures. He received an honorable mention in 1834, a bronze medal in 1839, and a silver medal in 1844 for a large candelabra with a triangular base, prefiguring the one presented at the Universal Exhibition in London in 1862. He also participated in the design of the chandelier for the Queen’s Theatre in London. From 1851 to 1870, he changed his company name several times. Lacarrière, Delatour et Cie (active in 1870) cast and chiseled the majority of the lampposts, candelabras and chandeliers of the Paris Opera, including that of the hall, designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Opera, and modeled by Corboz. At the Universal Exhibition of 1878, the catalog wrote that “their exhibition demonstrates great skill and very pure taste in lighting bronzes intended for private homes.” In 1900, the company named Lacarrière et Cie supplied the fourteen monumental candelabras of the Pont Alexandre III, in Paris; a true tour de force at the time, since the largest of these pieces weighed 667 kg, for a height of 4.50 m and a diameter of 4.70 m.

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Bronze-caster (Active from 1853 to 1918)
(attributed to)

Pair of Perfume-burners

France
Circa 1870

Amethyst, Gilded bronze

Height : 37 cm (14,5 in.) ; Diameter : 13 cm (5,2 in.)

Beautiful pair of Louis XVI style perfume burners in amethyst, enhanced with an elegant finely chased and gilded bronze mount. The ovoid body is topped with a lid featuring a gilded bronze finial and encircled by an openwork gallery adorned with an oak-leaf frieze, ending in a foliage motif centered with a seed ornament. They are embellished with three supports surmounted by ram’s heads holding twisted rings forming the handles, and terminating in leafy hoof feet, resting on a molded concave tripod base decorated with a frieze of water leaves

Renowned for the quality of its chiseling and the choice of materials, the Millet firm had a large workshop with many workers, using its own bronze models and enjoyed collaborations with famous sculptors and bronze-casters such as Claude Marioton.

View from a booth of Maison Millet, showing a “Rams” perfume burners similar to ours

Biography

The firm of Théodore Millet was founded in 1853. A very talented specialist in 18th Century reproductions, Millet produced furniture and artistic bronzes of the highest quality. He was one of the few cabinet-makers to obtain authorisation from the Château de Versailles to make in 1902 a replica of Queen Marie-Antoinette’s great jewel cabinet. As an artist of great merit and Specialising in « meubles et bronzes d’art, genre ancien et moderne », Millet obtained the highest rewards such as the Gold medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1889 for his first participation, and the Grand Prize at the Universal Exhibition of 1900. The photographic archives show, among the workshops views and the parisian shop, Millet’s stand at the Universal Exhibition in Saint-Louis (US) in 1904. The firm’s influence internationnally is then through its antenna in New-York « Duryea and Potter », 469 fifth avenue, New-Yok. The firm lasted until 1918.

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France
Circa 1880

Painted and Giltwood, Breccia marble

Height : 78,5 cm (30,9 in.) ; Diameter of the marble top : 29,5 cm (11,6 in.)
Base : 32 x 32 cm (12,6 x 12,6 in.)

Beautiful pair of carved, painted and giltwood pedestals in the Régence style, composed of a circular central shaft adorned with projecting gadrooned rings and acanthus leaves, surrounded by three double-curved console-shaped supports highlighted with acanthus-leaf culots, carved with channels and embellished with gilt fillets. Topped with molded Breccia marble, they rest on a tripartite base with concave sides.

This model is a classic of the decorative arts of the first half of the 18th century. It derives from the designs of ornamentists depicting torchères with hollowed shafts and scrolling supports intended for royal interiors. Originally, these pieces of furniture were used to hold candelabra (hence the name torchère) to illuminate galleries, or to display bronzes, Chinese porcelain, and busts.

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Art light Creator (since 1840)
(attributed to)

« Palmettes » Chandelier

France
Circa 1890

Gilded and patinated bronze

Height : 110 cm (43,3 in.) ; Diameter : 75 cm (29,5 in.)

Elegant eight-light Empire-style chandelier in patinated and gilded bronze, composed of a broad patinated bronze band bordered along the upper edge with an egg-and-dart frieze and along the lower edge with a torus molding. It is surmounted by braided wreaths intertwining flowers and laurel leaves, centered by a palmette motif and resting on crossed fasces. The surface of the band is animated by symmetrical scrolling foliage framing blooming rosettes, while pleated and rolled ribbons encircle lion heads surmounted by swans, which serve as the anchoring points for the light arms. The eight light-arms are shaped as trumpets adorned with acanthus leaves and terminate in circular drip pans with leaf friezes, above flared candle sockets finely chased with palmette motifs.
The chandelier is suspended by four rigid rods ornamented with oval medallions depicting the god Mercury, converging at a ceiling canopy decorated with flared palmettes. Suspended beneath the main band by four chains with geometric links, the lower finial takes the form of an antique vase surmounted by a basket of fruit and flowers, and culminates in a large foliate terminal ending in a stylized pine cone.

Biography

Art light creator, Baguès was founded around 1840 in Auvergne. Specialized in liturgical bronzes, the company grew at the end of the 19th century and started to make lighting bronzes, thanks to the generalization of electricity.

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France
Circa 1900

Gilded and patinated bronze, Alabaster

Height : 80 cm (31,5 in. ) ; Diameter : 63 cm (24,8 in.)

Rare Neo-Classical inspired chandelier in patinated bronze with gilt highlights and alabaster, featuring double lighting. It consists of a large veined orange-brown alabaster bowl with internal illumination, encircled by a crown decorated with an interlaced frieze punctuated by projecting triglyphs and drops, supporting six light arms with foliate bobeches and fluted candle sockets. The bowl is supported by six foliate bands converging into acanthus leaves extended by a seed motif. It is suspended from a baluster-shaped stem adorned with acanthus leaves, a ribboned torus, a pearl frieze, and rudented fluting with asparagus-tip motifs, ending in a foliate ceiling mount.

This chandelier reflects the codes of Neoclassicism developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, adopting a balanced composition and strict symmetry, with a structured and orderly decoration inspired by Greco-Roman Antiquity.

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« The rape of Proserpina »

France
Circa 1870

Patinated bronze

Bores and Orithya – Height: 100 cm (39,4 in.) ; Width : 43 cm (16,9 in.) ; Depth : 45 cm (17,7 in.)
Pluto and Proserpina – Height : 113 cm (44,5 in.) ; Width : 53 cm (20,8 in.) ; Depth : 41 cm (16,1 in.)
Bases – Height : 73 cm (28,7 in.) ; Width : 43 cm (16,9 in.) ; Depth : 41,5 cm (16,3 in.)

Provenance : Robin Chichester-Clark, Moyola Park, Castledawson.

Beautiful pair of patinated bronze sculptures depicting mythological scenes, resting on molded wooden bases painted white.

The first represents Boreas, the god of the north wind, recognizable by his large wings, abducting a young nude woman, Orithyia, whose body arches backward. Her arms are raised above her head, her hands open in a gesture of surprise or defense. Her face, turned outward, expresses fear and astonishment. The treatment of the bronze highlights the softness of her forms, contrasting with the muscular tension of Boreas. At the base of the composition, a third figur, often interpreted as a personification of the wind or a secondary spirit, partially supports the ensemble.

The second depicts the abduction of Proserpina by Pluto, god of the Underworld. Her body bends backward while her raised arms intensify the sense of resistance : her open hands seem either to push away an invisible force or to call for help. At the base of the group, a third female figure is kneeling or seated upon the rock. Seen from behind, she appears to be trying to hold back Proserpina or oppose the abduction. Her role is both narrative and structural : she stabilizes the composition while introducing a secondary viewpoint that encourages the viewer to move around the sculpture.

related works

These sculptures are inspired by the groups depicting mythological abductions that formed part of the “Grande Commande” of 1674, commissioned by the Direction des Bâtiments du Roi under Jean-Baptiste Colbert for the Water Parterre in the gardens of the Château de Versailles. The program was intended to celebrate the cosmic and political glory of Louis XIV through an iconography inspired by Apollo and the order of the universe, and included eight groups of mythological abductions conceived under the artistic direction of Charles Le Brun, who provided the preparatory drawings. However, the successive redesigns of the gardens prevented the original arrangement from being carried out, and the sculptures were ultimately dispersed throughout various groves and pathways of Versailles.

Marble by the sculptor Gaspard Marsy II, completed by Anselme Flamen, Louvre Museum, Paris (Inv. MR 1844)

Marble by the sculptor François Girardon (1628-1715), Versailles (Inv. MR 1865 / inv. 1850.9210)

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Founder (1813-1892)

Sconces « Hercules and Omphale »

Signed A. D

France
Circa 1880

Gilded bronze

Height : 83 cm (32,6 in.) ; Width : 46 cm (18,1 in.) ; Depth : 37 cm (14,6 in.)

Beautiful set of four six-light sconces in chased and gilt bronze, forming two pairs. Each sconce is composed of a terminal figure in the form of a herm, ending in a rich cascade of acanthus leaves, from which emerges a delicate stem adorned with foliage and terminating in a seed motif.
The male sconces depict a bearded man with vigorous musculature, his head turned upward in a dynamic attitude. Draped across his torso like a sash is an animal skin. This iconography (strength, beard, and animal hide recalling the leonté or skin of the Nemean lion) strongly suggests the mythological figure of Hercules.
Its counterpart presents a female figure with a classical profile, her hair gathered into an elaborate antique-style chignon. She likewise wears an animal skin draped across her chest. This figure most likely represents Omphale, Queen of Lydia, with whom Hercules exchanged attributes. These figures are placed beneath an arch ornamented with vine leaves and clusters of grapes, and support scrolling uprights from which spring three light-bearing arms highlighted with acanthus decoration, terminating in candleholders adorned with water-leaf motifs.

biography

A bronze factory existed in the 18th century, directed by Jean-Baptiste Maximilien Delafontaine, master foundryman born in 1750. His son Pierre Maximilien (1774-1860) succeeded him. The factory was first domiciled at 13 rue d’Orléans then, from 1824, at 10 rue Neuve-de-l’Abbaye. In the 1840s, it was Auguste Maximilien Delafontaine who was at its head at 46, rue Bonaparte, then 10, rue de l’Université in 1870. The most fruitful period of the firm corresponded to his direction. Publisher, he entrusted the execution of the bronzes to the Molz foundry, rue de Rennes. Taking up the contracts signed by Duret with the founder Quesnel, he published around 1855, among others, Le Danseur napolitain, Le Vendangeur improvisant, Jeune Pêcheur dansant la tarantella, La Tragédie, La Comédie. Its catalog of “art and furnishing bronzes” offers works by other artists including Pradier, reproductions of antique statues and various art and furnishing objects. During the sale after Barye’s death in 1876, he purchased a certain number of models, notably dogs, of which he made a few editions. The activity was continued by his own son Henri-Maximilien (?-1932) from 1884, until the closure of the company in 1905.

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Italy
Circa 1860

Ebonized and giltwood

Height : 180 cm (70,8 in.) ; Diameter : 65 cm (25,6 in.)

This ceremonial planter, crafted in carved, ebonized, and richly gilded wood, eloquently reflects the Italian decorative tradition of the 19th century, in which historicist eclecticism draws from both the late Baroque and Neo-Renaissance repertoires.

The planter features an architectural structure, with a slender shaft composed of three facets, decorated with reserves adorned with stylized Neo-Gothic motifs such as trilobed cartouches and architectural frames highlighted with gilded lines, incorporating large stylized leaves in the lower sections. At mid-height, a wide circular bowl forms a platform intended to receive or support a decorative element (pot or floral arrangement). It is accentuated by a frieze of gilded gadroons. Above, a fluted knop is surmounted by a ring decorated with finely chased points and floral garlands, supporting another gadrooned bowl. The top of the planter takes the form of an openwork basket, conceived like a Gothic crown. The cut-outs, composed of trilobed arcatures and flamboyant motifs, are enhanced with a red polychrome background. This contrast between the radiant gold and the deep red heightens the theatrical dimension of the object and recalls certain liturgical furnishings or ceremonial pieces inspired by religious architecture. It rests on a polygonal base with chamfered sides, incorporating three basins designed to hold flowers. Oval medallions in relief depict an idealized female profile suggestive of an allegory, rendered in the manner of antique cameos and framed by gilded foliate scrolls.

The ensemble demonstrates a pronounced taste for polychromy and contrast, characteristic of certain Italian productions, particularly in regions such as Lombardy or Tuscany, where 19th-century craftsmen excelled in the art of carved and gilded wood. Beyond its utilitarian function, this planter appears above all as a prestige object, intended to adorn a refined interior and to interact with other decorative pieces within an eclectic setting. Through its ornamental richness, hierarchical composition, and the quality of its execution, it perfectly illustrates a period in which the decorative object became a true aesthetic statement, at the crossroads of architecture, sculpture, and the decorative arts.

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Bronze-casters (XIXe – XXe s.) 

O. Lelièvre

Sculptor (1869-1947)

Chandelier with Vine tendrils

Signed Susse Frères Edts Paris and O. Lelièvre Sclp

France – Circa 1900

Height : 110 cm (43,3 in.) ; Diameter : 75 cm (29,5 in.)

Elegant six-light chandelier in patinated and gilt bronze, composed of a veined alabaster bowl with internal illumination, supported by arcades and surmounted by a frieze of rectangular white alabaster plaques alternating with scrolling light arms accented with acanthus leaves. The whole is suspended by double chains in the lower section and adorned in the upper section with vine tendrils and laurel wreaths, all attached to a crown decorated with fleurons and embellished with cut and faceted crystal prisms and mirzas.

This chandelier is the result of the fruitful collaboration between the sculptor Olivier Lelièvre and the prestigious Parisian art foundry Susse Frères, for which he designed and modeled high-quality pieces that were subsequently cast in bronze.

Biography

The world-renowned Susse Frères foundry began producing bronze works as early as the first half of the nineteenth century. Confirming their success during the celebrated Expositions des Produits de l’Industrie in Paris, the Susse brothers, Victor Susse and Amédée Susse, were listed from 1841 onward as manufacturers of “art bronzes for clocks, candelabra, vases, statuettes, etc. The greatest French sculptors entrusted them with their sculpted works to be cast in bronze, such as James Pradier, who signed in 1841 the earliest known publishing contract currently recorded. Following the deaths of the two brothers, Albert Susse succeeded them and directed the firm from 1880 to 1922. He brought renewed momentum to the company and greatly expanded the foundry’s activities. Albert Susse subsequently opened a luxurious showroom at 13 boulevard de la Madeleine in Paris.

Octave Georges Lelièvre (1869-1947) was a French sculptor and ornamentalist associated with the decorative arts of the Belle Époque and with a reinterpretation of the Louis XVI style. A student of the sculptor Théodore Eugène Victor Barrau, as well as of Auguste Dumont and Charles Gumery, his work is chiefly known through ornamental bronzes, clocks, candelabra, desk sets, and decorative objects produced by major artistic bronze foundries, notably Susse Frères. Active circa 1890–1930, he worked within the tradition of French decorative sculpture, combining neoclassical influences with the refinement of Art Nouveau and later Art Deco. His creations frequently employed gilt bronze, featuring decoration with acanthus leaves, garlands, mascarons, and motifs inspired by eighteenth-century French design.

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Bronze-caster (1788-1846)
(attributed to)

Large Chandelier

France
Circa 1830

Gilded bronze

Height : 120 cm (47,2 in.) ; Diameter : 92 cm (36,2 in.)

Large chandelier in chased and gilded bronze with sixteen lights, fully embodying the refined aesthetic of the Restoration period (1814–1830), marked by a return to a certain classical sobriety tempered with ornamental elegance.
The central shaft, adorned with stylized acanthus leaves and finely chased friezes, is composed of a sphere decorated with rosettes and foliage motifs, ending in a pinecone (an ancient symbol of eternity), and supports two rows of eight fluted arms of light with double scrolls. A gadrooned basin in the antique taste, a detail frequently seen during the Restoration, crowns the whole. It is suspended by eight rods with symmetrical openwork links, decorated with rosettes and scrolls inspired by the ornamental vocabulary inherited from the Empire style, and attached by scroll motifs to a leafy corona surmounted by a flared-rim bowl with gadrooned decoration.

This chandelier perfectly illustrates the stylistic transition characteristic of the Restoration period: a balance between the classical rigor inherited from the Empire style and a renewed taste for lightness, grace, and a certain decorative refinement. It is a work that is both functional and sculptural, designed to enhance a prestigious interior while demonstrating the exceptional craftsmanship of Parisian bronzeworkers of the early 19th century.

Chandeliers with widely projecting arms, imposing pinecone finials, and the use of rigid chains with decorative links are recurring hallmarks of G.-J. Galle’s production, who was awarded a medal at the 1819 Exhibition of the Products of Industry.

biography

Son of the great Empire-era bronzemaker Claude Galle (1759–1815), Gérard-Jean (1788–1846) took over his father’s workshop in 1815, inheriting its molds, designs, and prestigious clientele, and brought it to its peak. While he continued producing bronzes in the Empire style, he gradually introduced greater lightness, richer decoration, and forms that heralded the Charles X style. Under the July Monarchy, his style became more eclectic.

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Goldsmith (active 1863-1888)

Samovar

France – Circa 1870

Signed MEGEMOND PARIS

Silvered bronze

Height: 49 cm (19,3 in.) ; Width: 34 cm (13,4 in.) ; Depth : 33 cm (12,9 in.)

Elegant silver-plated bronze samovar, composed in its upper part of a handled teapot, surmounted by a lid with a finely worked finial, and flanked on either side by zoomorphic spouts, contributing to the visual balance of the piece. The body is adorned with a monogrammed medallion suggesting an aristocratic or bourgeois commission, set within a cartouche with cut edges and linked to the spouts by drapery with scalloped borders. It rests on a stand composed of curved uprights in volute form, connected by stretchers decorated with interlacing motifs and female mascarons, and terminating in scrolls integrated into a faceted tray. Upon this tray, raised on a stepped platform, sits a circular reservoir designed to keep the water hot.

The whole rests on a silver-plated bronze tray with a shaped mirror plate and a moulded border of laurel reeds, crafted by the silversmith Boin-Taburet.

The samovar is a vessel designed for the preparation and maintenance of hot water for tea. Of Russian origin, this device appeared in the 18th century in the metallurgical centers of Tula and quickly spread throughout Western Europe as both a utilitarian and prestige object. In its 19th-century Westernized form—particularly in France under the Second Empire—the samovar evolved into a display piece incorporated into aristocratic tea services. While retaining its thermal function, with a central reservoir heated by an internal firebox or a spirit burner, it also became a true showcase of silversmithing craftsmanship.

biography

The products of the house of Joseph Mégemond, located in the Passage des Petites Écuries, received several honorary distinctions: a silver medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1878, a gold medal (honor prize) in 1880, and a gold medal (excellence prize) in 1887. He worked as a silversmith from 1863 to 1888, the year his silver-plating business was acquired by Paul Canaux.

The two French goldsmiths George Boin and his son-in-law Emile Taburet created around 1875 in Paris the company Boin-Taburet. They made many silver pieces inspired by the beautiful services of the eighteenth century. At the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878, Georges Boin presented a “service de toilette” inspired by the work of François-Thomas Germain (1726-1791), and then at the Universal Exhibition of 1889, several epergnes, including one of them executed after drawings by the famous artist Juste-Aurèle Meissonier (1695-1750), as well as tea sets of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI styles. Boin-Taburet firm also exhibited a tureen and platter after Pierre Germain’s one (1645-1684) for the Jockey Club, located then on Scribe street in Paris in 1863. Through its lavish events to various international shows, Boin-Taburet company contributed to the revival styles of the eighteenth century.

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Cabinet-maker and bronze-caster (1847-1919)
(attributed to)

Chandelier with Terms

France
Circa 1880

Gilded and patinated bronze

Height : 80 cm (ref. 31,5 in.) ; Diameter : 45 cm (17,7 in.)

Charming chandelier in chased, gilded, and patinated bronze with seven lights. The central shaft features a blued bronze bowl adorned on its body with friezes and foliate scrolls in gilded bronze, surmounted by a twisted fluted column with asparagus-tip motifs, ending in a flame finial and a seed-shaped element. Three female figures terminating in acanthus leaves each support two twisted, foliate scrolling light arms. The whole is suspended by three chains designed to imitate tasseled rope.

related work

Our chandelier is inspired by the chandelier in gilded and blued bronze, attributed to François Rémond (1747-1812), End of the 18th Century. Given in 1808 by Napoléon to Cambacérès for his Parisian house, the actual hôtel de Roquelaure. Exposed in the Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris (Inv. CAM 146)

biography

In 1875, In 1875, Alfred-Emmanuel Beurdeley (1847-1919) was at first assistant to and later succeeded his father Louis-Auguste Beurdeley, one of the main cabinet-makers of the Second Empire, specializing in 18th century furniture. Louis-Auguste was the star whenever he exhibited and was “most favored by the royal and imperial families”. Although he produced the same kind of works of art as his father, Alfred Beurdeley was also a very well-known art collector and a skilled bronze sculptor. With Dasson, Grohé, Sauvresy and Fourdinois, the most famous artists of the period, he took part in the 1878 Universal Exhibition and won the gold medal. Crowned with glory he went so far as to open a shop in New York. His participation in the 1883 Amsterdam Universal Exhibition drew considerable attention to his work and “Alfred Beurdeley, Fabricant de bronzes d’art” was then awarded the Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest official mark of recognition. He thus won the respect of both the government and contemporary art critics. His last presentation was during the 1889 Universal and International Exhibition, when the director of the Exhibition wrote in his report: “The talent of Mr Beurdeley is self evident when one inspects his furniture.”

François Rémond (1747-1812) began his apprenticeship in 1763. In 1774, he became maître in the guild of bronze guilders. He worked for the mercant-mercer Daguerre et created worked in the Turkish style then in vogue or Louis XVI and his family. He collaborated with the chaser Pierre Gouthière on some of his greatest masterpieces before 1783, and designed bronze ornaments for the cabinet-maker Jean-Henri Riesener. In August 1774, he met the cabinet-maker David Roentgen and began a collaboration with him : most of Roentgen pieces were decorated with bronzes made in Paris by Rémond with sometimes sculptures by artists such as Louis-Simon Boizot.

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Clock-maker (1842-1921)

«Allegory of Fidelity to Henri IV»

Dial signed « Planchon à Paris » 

France
Circa 1880

Gilded bronze, Marble

Height : 46 cm (18,1 in.) ; Width : 30 cm (11,8 in.) ; Depth : 17 cm (6,7 in.)

A fine clock in white marble and chased and gilt bronze, depicting a female figure draped in the antique manner, holding two hearts in her right hand and supporting a medallion bearing the profile of Henry IV of France, an idealized royal figure. This medallion rests on a truncated, fluted marble column housing an enamel dial with Arabic numerals for the hours and a peripheral minute track, framed by a knotted garland of flowers and laurel. To the right, a child playing with a dog forms an explicit symbol of fidelity (the dog being the traditional attribute of this virtue).
The whole rests on a molded base decorated with garlands of roses and laurel within beaded reserves on a black ground, supported by six leafy ball feet.

This association makes it possible to interpret the composition as an allegory of fidelity to Henry IV, a king regarded in the 18th century as a model of good governance and national concord.

This theme belongs to a well-established iconographic tradition: clocks from the late Ancien Régime frequently employ female and childlike figures to express moral or political virtues. This clock represents a historicist revival of a model designed in the 1780s, a period when Parisian clockmaking reached a peak in the integration of sculpture, architecture, and moral symbolism.

related work

This model, highly popular in the 18th century and probably created by the merchant-mercier Daguerre, was produced in numerous variations on different themes, such as this Allegory of Friendship and Loyalty clock, signed “Montjoye à Paris,” circa 1780, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (reproduced in H. Ottomeyer, Vergoldete Bronzen, vol. I, Klinkhardt & Biermann, Munich, 1986, p. 245).

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York also holds an example signed “Charles Dutertre à Paris,” on which the medallion is missing (inv. no. 43.163.24a–b).

biography

Matthieu Planchon (1842–1921), born in Bourges, was apprenticed to his father, also a clockmaker, and completed his tour de France in 1862. He acquired the business of the clockmaker Adrien Philippe in 1870. Listed on Rue Vieille-du-Temple in 1880, by 1890 he had established himself in the Galerie Montpensier at the Palais-Royal. Influenced by the architect Viollet-le-Duc (1814–1879), he specialized for a time in the Neo-Gothic style before developing a style known as the “Planchon style,” inspired by those of the Ancien Régime.
In 1889, he adopted as his trademark the motto of 17th-century Parisian clockmakers: Solis mendaces arguit horas (“The hours of the sun are deceptive”). In 1899, he took on his son-in-law, Paul Brateau, as a collaborator. He published several works and, in 1900, wrote the report on the Retrospective Museum of the Exposition. He died in 1921. Brateau succeeded him, and the shop, located on the Chaussée d’Antin since 1900, was moved in 1930 to Rue Meyerbeer, where it ceased all activity in 1936.

bibliography

•  Tardy, Dictionnaire des Horlogers Français, Paris, 1972, p. 525

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Floral Bowl with Tritons

France
Circa 1870

Porcelain, Gilded bronze

Height : 30 cm (11,8 in.) ; Width : 35,5 cm (13,9 in.) ; Depth : 25 cm (9,8 in.)

Beautiful polychrome porcelain bowl with a turquoise ground inspired by Sèvres “celestial blue,” enriched with a gilt decoration of scattered lozenge motifs dotted with small flowers, surrounding reserved cartouches with gilt rocaille frames depicting polychrome floral bouquets of roses, pansies, and forget-me-nots, painted with great naturalistic delicacy. The interior of the bowl, left with a white ground, is adorned with floral garlands and bouquets.
It is set in an ornate mount of finely chased and gilt bronze, composed of two lateral handles formed by scrolling acanthus leaves accented with beading and surmounting satyr heads; a gadrooned pedestal foot decorated with laurel leaves; and a quadripod base representing tritons as atlantes, reclining on asymmetrical rocaille-inspired volutes.

This bowl, belonging to the grand tradition of mounted objects, reflects a 19th-century production in the taste of the 18th century (more specifically the Louis XV style), characterized by the exuberance of rocaille decoration (asymmetry, scrolling foliage, tritons), the combination of precious materials (porcelain and gilt bronze), and a taste for spectacular centerpiece objects. It forms part of a prolific yet often highly refined production, oscillating between imitations of the royal Sèvres manufactory and original creations intended for a bourgeois or aristocratic clientele, appreciative of luxury and technical virtuosity.

biography

Since the discovery of kaolin, needed material for the making of porcelain, porcelain factories also called porcelain manufactures are on the increase in all France and naturally in Paris. Most of those manufactures worked in the 18th century under the protection of a member of the Royal family, such the comte de Provence, future Louis XVIII, who protected the Clignancourt manufacture. But during and the 19th century, numerous pieces did bear no making mark. It was then almost imposssible to attribute them to any particular Parisian factory, hence the expression “Paris porcelain” or “Vieux Paris” including all those various productions.

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Cabinet-maker (1817-1884)

Flat Desk

France
Circa 1860

Rosewood, Gilded bronze

Height : 73,5 cm (28,9 in.) ; Length : 118,5 cm (46,6 in.) ; Depth: 64 cm (25,2 in.)

Beautiful Louis XV style desk in rosewood veneer and chiseled and gilded bronze. It is decorated on all sides, in cartouches circled by a frieze of eggs and foliage, with a marquetry of diamonds. Covered with a top sheathed with black leather and surrounded by a mold, it opens on one side with three drawers. The whole rest on four cabriole legs decorated at the corner with ram’s heads and ending with four leafy hooves.

biography

The Wassmus were a family of cabinet-makers active in Paris from around 1815 to 1868, suppliers to the Imperial Garde-Meuble under the Second Empire, specializing in the creation of prestigious marquetry furniture. Under the company name Wassmus brothers first operated Jean-Henri-Chrétien (1784-1858) and his brother Jean-Henri-Christophe (1786/1864) then their sons, including Henri-Léonard (1817-1884), who created and designed most of the furniture coming out of the workshop. Working as a family, it is difficult to precisely attribute the works by author. They specialized in the manufacture of very high-quality furniture, particularly in the Boulle, Louis XV, Louis XVI and Napoleon III styles. The Louis XVI-style chests of drawers furnishing the Hôtel de Marigny in Paris are by Henri-Léonard Wassmus ; they come from the Prince Imperial’s bedroom at the Élysée Palace. In 1844, they were awarded a silver medal at the Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie, and exhibited at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris in 1855 and 1867.

bibliography

Les ébénistes du XIXe siècle, Denise Ledoux-Lebard, Ed. de l’Amateur, 1984, p. 620-621

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Bronze-caster (1860-1905)

« Bacchic » Chandelier

Signed HV for Henri Vian

France
Circa 1870

Crystal, Gilded and patinated bronze 

Height : 105 cm (41,3 in.) ; Diameter : 80 cm (31,5 in.)

A fine twelve-light chandelier in chased and gilded bronze, richly adorned with scrolls, garlands, beading, prisms, and faceted cut-crystal drops. The central shaft is formed as a fluted, bluish-patinated baluster-shaped vase containing flowers and fruit, decorated alternately with heads of satyrs and bacchantes, from which issue the twisted light arms with scrolling foliage centered with vine leaves. The whole is surmounted by a flattened sphere decorated with ram’s heads, extending into a spiral topped with a bouquet of acanthus leaves forming the ceiling mount. At the lower part, the finial is composed of acanthus leaves ending in a pinecone.

This chandelier develops an imagery directly inspired by Bacchus’s procession, where festivity and nature intertwine. The presence of heads of bacchantes, satyrs, and rams situates the piece firmly within a Dionysian universe. The vine leaves and tendrils, omnipresent in the scrolling light-arms, reinforce this reference to wine and fertility. They structure the decoration while lending it an organic and luxuriant character, like vegetation in full growth.

biography

Henri Vian, a bronze-caster active in the second half of the 19th century, produced numerous interior ornaments: fireplaces, vases with bronze mounts, chandeliers, balustrades… all of the highest quality. His signature is usually written in cursive letters, with the initial of his first name followed by his surname. On later works, only the two initials H.V. appear. The company, located at 5 rue de Thorigny in Paris (the Hôtel Salé, now the Musée Picasso), continued under the direction of Madame Vian after her husband’s death in 1905.

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Sculptor-Ornemanist
(1827-1875)

G. Viot et Cie

Compagnie des Marbres Onyx d’Algérie
(active from the 2^nde part of the 19^th Century)

(attributed to)

Orientalist Planter

France
Circa 1870

Enamel, Gilded bronze, Algerian Onyx

Height : 17 cm (6,7 in.) ; Length : 44,5 cm (17,5 in.) ; Depth : 24,5 cm (9,6 in.)

Fine Orientalist planter of rectangular form in Algerian onyx and finely chiselled and gilded bronze. The upper section, shaped in an arabesque profile, is accentuated by a frieze of water leaves. Rectangular recessed cartouches and raised square reserves are set with gilded bronze plaques decorated with stylized cloisonné enamel of Persian inspiration, composed of interlacing patterns and geometric motifs in a vibrant palette of turquoise blues, pinks, and greens. The shorter sides are adorned with molded onyx cabochons embellished with two pointed finials, and the whole rests on four gilt bronze claw feet.

This planter presents itself as a display object characteristic of decorative arts production in the second half of the 19th century, when a taste for exoticism and precious materials was integrated into a historicist and eclectic aesthetic. It reflects the technical refinement and the fascination with Orientalism that defined the Second Empire period.

Biography

The sculptor Eugène Cornu (1827-1899), installed in Paris at N.29 rue Popincourt, after having worked as a designer and then director for the renowned company Tahan (1813-1892), worked closely from 1858 with the « Compagnie des Marbres Onyx d’Algérie », led by Gustave Viot (1828 – 1897) and created by Alphonse Pallu (1808-1880) on June 14th 1858. This company refers to the exploitation of onyx, known since antiquity but rediscovered in 1849 in Oran Province, Algeria, by Del Monte, a marble worker. It opened in 1863 a shop on Boulevard des Italiens N.24, in Paris. In the mid 1860’s, the name of the company changed to “G. Viot & Cie” and produced, after models created by the most well-known sculptors, such as Eugène Cornu, Albert Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887) (Victoria & Albert Museum, Inv. 9070-1863), Charles Cordier (1827-1905) (Orsay, Inv. RF 2996) ou Louis-Ernest Barrias (1841-1905) (Orsay, Inv. RF 1409), luxurious furniture and art objects, incorporating onyx marble and bronze, with sometimes enamel, a combination then considered as a novelty and become quickly highly prized among wealthy collectors. They showed together on their booth at the 1867 Universal Exhibition held in Paris a fine pair of onyx, bronze and enamel vases and their stands with elephants figures (signed « G. Viot et Cie, Exposition de 1867, Eugène Cornu Inventeur » ; Catalogue Officiel de l’Exposition, groupe III, classe XIV, « meubles de luxe », n°65) for which they won the Gold Medal (Rapports du Jury International, Exposition Universelle de 1867 à Paris, 1868, t. III, groupe III, classe XV, chapitre II, § 2, p°45 & 46). Around 1873, Eugène Cornu became director of the Company and replaced G. Viot, which took then the name of « Société des Onyx d’Algérie E. Cornu et Cie ». Around 1878, the company was then headed to H. Journet from which it took his name. That firm remained opened until the beginning of the 20th century.

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France
Circa 1880

Porcelain, Gilded and patinated bronze

Height : 87 cm (34,2 in.) ; Diameter : 50,5 cm (19,9 in.)

Charming circular pedestal table with a polychrome porcelain top and a patinated and gilded bronze base. The top is decorated at its center with a painted medallion depicting two draped female figures positioned on either side of an altar, accompanying a winged Cupid in an allegorical iconography evoking the themes of Love and sacrifice. Surrounding this medallion extends a wide recessed turquoise-blue ground, creating a sense of depth and recalling certain “celestial blue” backgrounds favored in European manufactories in the 19th century, such as the Sèvres manufactory. The outer marli is adorned with a series of oval cartouches outlined with a gilt line, each depicting a Cupid in varied poses, playing with floral attributes, holding ribbons or arrows. The regular alternation of cartouches and light reserves establishes a harmonious decorative rhythm. The outer rim, highlighted with a strong pink tone, frames the composition.

The top rests on a patinated bronze support enriched with gilded highlights, composed of a bowl decorated with antique-style medallions and relief heads surrounded by interlacing motifs. Embellished with small chains, it continues with a fluted shaft punctuated by gilded rings and stands on a tripod base alternating lion-paw feet and palmettes, motifs borrowed from the vocabulary of Antiquity and reinterpreted by Neoclassicism.

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Bronze-caster (1860-1905)
(attributed to)

« Quiver » Chandelier

France
Circa 1880

Gilded and patinated bronze

Height : 95 cm (37,4 in.) ; Diameter : 49 cm (19,3 in.)

Beautiful Louis XVI–inspired chandelier in finely chased and gilt bronze with blue patinated accents, featuring four lights. The central shaft, shaped like a quiver and associated with the iconography of Apollo or Cupid, is adorned with four female heads alternating with fluted light arms decorated with scrolling acanthus leaves and vine tendrils, surmounted by goat heads. The lower terminal, ornamented with acanthus leaves, ends in a pinecone finial. The chandelier is suspended by four linked chains gathered at the top by a bouquet of stylized acanthus leaves forming a flared corolla.

The attribution to Henri Vian is based on stylistic analogies with pieces from his workshop, particularly in the quality of the chasing, the vigor of the animal figures, and the richness of the ornamentation. Vian, an appointed supplier to an aristocratic and international clientele, distinguished himself in the production of art bronzes that combined references to the eighteenth century with free interpretations of the classical repertoire.

This quiver-form chandelier thus belongs to the Neo–Louis XVI current as reinterpreted by the eclecticism of the end of the century. It combines formal erudition, technical virtuosity, and decorative power, reflecting the ambition of Parisian bronze-casters to rival the masterpieces of earlier centuries while responding to the expectations of an international market seeking prestige and historicist exoticism

biography

Henri Vian, a bronze-caster active in the second half of the 19th Century, made a lot of interior decorations with chimney mantelpieces, ormolu and patinated-mounted vases, chandeliers,… He produced articles of the highest quality. The business, located at 5 rue de Thorigny in Paris (the Salé Mansion, now the Picasso Museum), was continued by Madame Vian after her husband’s death in 1905.

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Bronze-caster (19th Century)

Set of Four Wall-Lights

Signed A. GRANDPIERRE PARIS

France
Circa 1890

Gilded bronze

Height : 98 cm (38,6 in.) ; Width : 60 cm (23,6 in.) ; Depth : 30 cm (11,8 in.)

Provenance : Castle in Puisaye, France

Spectacular set of four Regence-inspired large wall sconces in finely chased and gilded bronze with five lights. Each is composed at the top of a radiating shell surrounded by laurel and acanthus leaves, set above a ground decorated with beaded trellis motifs centered with rosettes. Beneath the scrolling arms appears a female mascaron modeled in relief, and the composition terminates in a lambrequin motif ending in a cascading foliate drop. The light-arms, highlighted with scrolling foliage, are arranged symmetrically: two lateral arms in double volute form, two intermediate arms set slightly back, and a higher central arm. The bobèches and binets are decorated with gadroons and foliage motifs.

These wall-lights, remarkable for the quality of their chasing, have preserved their original gilding despite the passage of time, thus demonstrating the mastery and craftsmanship of its maker.
The combination of these elements reflects a synthetic aesthetic characteristic of the second half of the 19th century, a period during which Parisian bronze makers excelled in the scholarly reinterpretation of earlier styles.

Biography

Born into a dynasty of 19th-century Parisian bronze makers—including marble clock case makers operating under the names “Grandpierre et fils” and later “Grandpierre fils,” as well as metal founders—the maker of these sconces, A. Grandpierre, was a bronze manufacturer established at 1, rue Saint-Claude between 1889 and 1894.

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Ceramic Manufacture (1845-1895)

A. de Caranza

Designer (1843-1914)
(attributed to)

Pair of Lamps

Mark of J.Vieillard & Cie à Bordeaux

France
Circa 1880

Earthenware, Gilded bronze

Height with globe : 80 cm (31,5 in.) ; Width : 25 cm (9,8 in.) ; Depth : 18 cm (7 in.)

Beautiful pair of baluster-shaped faience lamps, originally oil-fired, featuring a central decoration of arabesques and stylized scrollwork in iron-red on a manganese-brown background, framed by turquoise and cobalt-blue cartouches with palmettes and symmetrical fleurons. The whole is encircled at the upper and lower sections by a frieze of red flowers on a blue background. The applied side handles take the form of stylized bamboo branches, their leaves unfolding across the body. The whole is set within a finely chased and gilt bronze mount composed of a friezes and ribbon-tied torus laurel moldings, and rests on a base ending in four scrolled feet surmounted by small floral-cast blocks.

This pair of lamps belongs to the Neo-Orientalist and Historicist production of the second half of the 19th century. The polychromy, dominated by intense blues, deep brown, and red highlights, reflects the European rediscovery of Iznik and Safavid Persian ceramics, which were highly fashionable following the Universal Exhibitions (notably those held in Paris in 1855 and 1867). The Vieillard manufactory distinguished itself by its ability to reinterpret these Oriental models into a decorative vocabulary suited to French taste.

Biography

Bordeaux knew at the beginning of the 19^th century a great development of fine earthenware due to the establishment of a manufacture by Boudon de Saint-Amans. That factory was however quickly sold to David Johnston, whom opened a factory in Bacalan that counted then up to 700 workers. The production became industrial, with printed patterns of varied colors. Jules Vieillard took after in 1845 David Johnston’s company. His work was crucial to the industrial success of the Bacalan manufacture and also to the artistic quality, which was unanimously celebrated during the famous Universal Exhibitions. His earthenware even earned the generic name of « Vieillard ceramics ». In his last period, Jules Vieillard developed an exceptional Orientalism through his creations. In 1865, his sons Charles and Albert, took after the factory under the company name of « Manufacture Jules Vieillard et C^ie », and produced a lot of various designed pieces, particularly decorated with birds and flowers. However, their printed decors were of quite poor quality. To solve that problem, they decided to renew the forms of the pieces, evolving towards fashionable decorative pieces, such as lamps, jardinieres and vases. As for the oldfashioned decoration, the artistic department worked hard under the direction of Amédée de Caranza newly arrived around 1875. This ceramist from Longwy, launched there in 1872 the famous eponymous enamels « Emaux de Longwy », renewing the ornemental vocabulary with his technique of partitioned enamel. His decorations mainly evoked the brilliance of Persian and Japanese objects. But, as Caranza left Longwy to Bordeaux, Longwy couldn’t keep  any longer its exclusivity. Caranza became then the manager of the Vieillard factory workshop in 1882, which knew thus a new momentum, until his departure a few years later, probably in 1885. The Vieillard factory closed down in 1895.

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France
Circa 1840

Gilded bronze

Height : 33,5 cm (13,2 in.) ; Diameter : 38 cm (14,9 in.)

Beautiful chiselled and gilded bronze centerpiece composed of a finely pierced bowl with an openwork rim of remarkable delicacy, decorated with scrolling foliage, arabesques, and interlacing vegetal motifs. The contrast between solid and void enhances the play of light on the gilding, enlivening the surface with a subtle shimmering effect.
The central shaft is adorned with four female figures in the round supporting the bowl. Draped in the antique manner, they evoke the Seasons, each holding vegetal attributes, garlands, flowers, or fruits, symbols of abundance and fertility. Their gentle contrapposto stance, the delicacy of their raised and braided hairstyles, and the fluidity of their drapery reflect the classicizing aesthetic of the Florentine Renaissance, here reinterpreted through the academic lens of the 19th century. It rests on a square base with cut sides, terminating in four foliate clasps ending in scrolls.

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Porcelain Manufactory

Pair of Vases

France – Dated 1890

Porcelain, Gilded bronze

Height : 38,5 cm (15,1 in.) ; Diameter : 15 cm (5,9 in.)

This pair of baluster-shaped vases in porcelain known as “bleu de Sèvres” or “gros bleu” is adorned with an elegant mount in finely chiselled and gilded bronze, comprising a neck with a broad gadrooned molding, lateral appliques in the form of hanging laurel swags and tied ribbons suspended from a foliate knop, and resting on a slightly flared circular foot encircled by a frieze of stylized water leaves.

The ornamentation clearly draws upon the decorative vocabulary of the reign of Louis XVI: falling garlands, ribbon-tied bows, and gadrooned friezes. However, the amplitude of the proportions, the chromatic saturation, and the richness of the mount reflect a historicist sensibility characteristic of the nineteenth century rather than the strict Neoclassicism of the eighteenth century.

Biography

The Sèvres factory of soft-paste porcelain was created, about 1738 at Vincennes by bankers and financiers with the aim of making true or “hard-paste” porcelain, like Meissen did. In 1753 Louis XV, became a major shareholder and the manufactory was transferred to Sèvres, closer to Versailles and the château de Bellevue, acquired by the Marquise de Pompadour. The Marquise took a personal interest in Sèvres activities, and encouraged production. In 1759, Louis XV bought out the other shareholders and Sèvres became the exclusive property of the France Crown. From then, the manufactory mark was a crossed Ls (the royal monogram) together with a letter indicating the year. The period from 1756 to 1779 represents the most successful and prosperous years for the factory. Louis XV, ordered large services for diplomatic and royal presents. The foremost artists, like the painter Boucher or the sculptor Falconet, worked for Sèvres, creating models. Experimentation in order to discover the hard-paste porcelain technic continued, and was discovered after 1769. The factory produced with success both soft-paste and hard-paste porcelain, in developing at the same time new colors: dark blue (bleu lapis) about 1752, turquoise blue (bleu céleste) in 1753, apple green in 1756, rose in 1757, and king’s blue in 1763. These remarkable pieces were usually painted with scenes form engraving by famous painters (François Boucher) or sculptors, with garlands, baskets of flowers and trophies. The Manufacture continued its production in the 19th century, asking the artists for new models, or taking inspiration from 18th century pieces.

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Crystal Manufactory
(attributed to)

Pair of « Birds » Vases

France
Circa 1880

Opaline, Gilded bronze

Height : 35,5 cm (13,9 in.) ; Width: 16 cm (6,3 in.) ; Depth : 12 cm (4,7 in.)

Fine pair of baluster-shaped opaline vases of Japanese inspiration, adorned with a chiselled and gilded bronze mount imitating bamboo, extending up the neck with two movable ring handles. The body is composed of translucent opaline glass with a predominantly cloudy grey ground, heightened with gilding that enhances its optical depth. The decoration unfolds across the belly and depicts two birds with plumage in red, green, yellow, and violet, rendered with naturalistic precision in the treatment of the feathers, while their posture remains decorative and symmetrical. They are perched upon a stylized turquoise-blue cartouche ornamented with simplified Greek motifs, amidst flowering branches bearing yellow blossoms accompanied by finely outlined green foliage. The whole rests on four double feet in stylized bamboo form.

The combination of cloudy opaline glass and a Japanese inspired gilded bronze mount points to a luxury production intended for bourgeois or aristocratic interiors. This type of object belongs to the vogue for Japonisme that marked the French decorative arts from the 1860s to the 1880s. The gilded bronze mounts, through their finely chased treatment and their structuring role, align with the tradition of mounted objects, a practice inherited from the eighteenth century.

Biography

The famous crystal manufactory of Baccarat, whose origins date back to the eighteenth century, won its first gold medal at the 1823 Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie, where it was praised for the “brilliance and fineness of its crystal,” thereby becoming the foremost crystalworks in France. Baccarat was undoubtedly the only French industrial enterprise to be consistently and magnificently represented at the various exhibitions in which it participated, consequently earning high honors and prestigious awards. One recurring expression, “the perfection of the material and of the cutting”, appears in all the reports of the Universal Exhibitions between 1855 and 1867, during which the Baccarat crystalworks dominated through the quality of its crystal, considered superior to that of Bohemia and England. In order to retain its wealthy clientele, among whom were, of course, members of the Royal Family, Baccarat was compelled to discover and introduce new fashions, new decorative schemes, and new materials.

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Bronze-caster (active from 1831 to 1864)

Pair of « Cupids »  jardinières 

Signed H. PICARD

France – Circa 1860

Gilded bronze

Height : 20,5 cm (8 in.) ; Length :  64 cm (25,2 in.)  ; Width : 37 cm (14,5 in.)

A fine pair of oval jardinieres in chiselled and gilded bronze, with inner liners. They are adorned in relief and enhanced by a subtle interplay of burnished and matte finishes, featuring leafy scrolls, asymmetrical volutes, shells, and clasps structuring the composition in a centered symmetrical rhythm. At the center stand out two winged cupids, rendered in the round, entwined in a tender embrace. Their supple modeling, full fleshy forms, rounded facial features, and curly hair reflect a desire for naturalism tempered by academic idealization. A second pair of cupids, arranged as pendants, repeat the same gesture. They surmount a medallion depicting Venus.
The lateral handles, pierced and asymmetrical, unfold into broad vegetal scrolls populated with flowers and foliage, in a distinctly Rocaille spirit. The base, composed of leafy scrollwork resting on small discreet supports, lends the ensemble a visual lightness despite the richness of the decoration.

The decorative vocabulary draws upon the Louis XV style in the dynamism of its lines and the abundance of scrollwork, while the overall composition, strictly axial and balanced, reveals a rationality inherited from Neoclassicism. This synthesis is characteristic of nineteenth-century Parisian bronziers, within the context of the revived taste for the eighteenth century under the Second Empire.

The theme of cupids refers to an iconography of ancient origin, reinterpreted during the Renaissance and widely disseminated in the French decorative arts. A symbol of love, abundance, or domestic felicity, their presence is particularly suited to a jardinière, an object associated with the cultivation of flowers and the ornamentation of bourgeois interiors. Intended to hold floral arrangements, ornamental plants or fruits, theses jardinieres belonged to a type of display furniture, likely conceived for a salon or boudoir. It testifies to the taste for spectacular pieces, both functional and sculptural, that contributed to the staging of domestic luxury.

Biography

Henri Picard (active 1831–1864), gilder and bronzier, established himself in Paris at 6 rue de Jarente from 1831 to 1839, then at 10 rue de la Perle from 1840 to 1864. He carried out the gilding of the Petits Appartements of Napoleon III at the Louvre Palace. He produced a wide variety of works, such as a Japonist inkwell and Pompeian-style centrepieces. Henri Picard earned his reputation for the exceptional quality of his jardinières and fireplace garnitures.

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Bronze-caster (1805-1886)
(attributed to)

Pair of Tritons

France
Circa 1870

Gilded and patinated bronze, Griotte Marble

Height : 35 cm (13,7 in.) ; Width : 28 cm (11 in.) ; Depth : 16 cm (7 in.)

Pair of patinated bronze sculptures with gilded highlights depicting two juvenile tritons slightly turned inward, creating a visual dialogue.
These hybrid figures combine the torso of a child, evoking Cupid, with an ichthyomorphic lower part forming a coiled tail. This typology refers to the iconographic tradition of tritons, marine deities belonging to the retinue of Poseidon/Neptune in Greco-Roman mythology. However, the youthful and graceful treatment, far removed from the bearded triton of Antiquity, reflects instead a decorative reinterpretation from the modern period, in which the marine imagination is softened and integrated into an ornamental aesthetic. The tritons are shown holding or surrounded by stylized aquatic elements: shells, aquatic foliage, and broad-petaled flowers.
Each sculpture rests on a molded circular base in griotte marble, truncated at the rear, a material widely used in European decorative arts from the 17th to the 19th century, lending the whole a rich chromatic foundation and a sense of luxury.

Biography

Victor Paillard (1805-1886) was one of the most distinguished bronze casters in Paris during the second half of the 19^th Century. He was taught chasing by Jean-François Denière (1774-1866), then opened in the 1830’s his own workshop making “Art bronzes and Furnishing bronzes”, settled n°105, boulevard Beaumarchais in Paris. He executed first small objects, then cast statuettes, candelabra, clocks as well as impressive sized torcheres. He appeared to the public for the first time at the Industrial Products Exhibition of 1839 and worked for the greatest French sculptors, such as Pradier, Barye and Carrier-Belleuse. He exhibited extensively with great success being mentioned for the quality of his work at the famous 1851 and 1862 London Universal Exhibitions, and the 1855, 1867 and 1878 Universal Exhibitions then held in Paris. Paillard was there celebrated by everyone ; John Burney Waring ilustrates a gilt-bronze mirror by him in his “Masterpieces of Industrial Art and Sculpture, 1862 (Plate 92)”, which is a comprehensive record of the finest pieces on show in the London Exhibition. At that time, he was awarded a prize medal and the exceptional quality of his work was commented in all jury reports. Appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur by the French Government, Paillard employed since the 1850’s a hundred workers and proposed to his wealthy clients about four hundred models, cast in bronze not only after famous sculptors’ works, but also after his own creations. It is especially interesting that his “Cherub” figures, such as those ones presented here were particularly singled out for their charm and popularity by commentators at both the 1862 and 1867 Universal Exhibitions. Burney Waring noted that they portrayed the “happy and innocent moods of childhood”.

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Italy
Circa 1890

Painted wood

Height :  212 cm (83,5 in.) ; Width :  130 cm (51,2 in.)

This large mirror with carved and polychrome wooden glazing bars stands out for its highly architectural and decorative composition, inspired by the Baroque and Rococo styles, which were particularly appreciated in Italy during this period.
The richly carved frame is adorned with an abundant décor of foliage, flowers, and scrolling motifs, executed in relief and enhanced with polychromy in natural tones (greens, pinks, and ochres) elegantly contrasting with the gilded elements. The openwork crest at the top features an important motif of symmetrical leafy volutes framing a slender central ornament that accentuates the overall verticality of the piece. The finely molded lateral and upper glazing bars structure the main mirror and amplify the reflection of light, while reinforcing the monumentality of the composition. The base of the frame is decorated with a carved floral garland, embellished with cascading flowers and foliage, resting on small sculpted feet that lend both stability and elegance.

The whole demonstrates craftsmanship of high quality, characteristic of late 19th-century Italian decorative production, combining sculptural virtuosity, ornamental richness, and a taste for theatricality. This mirror was intended for a formal interior, where it fulfilled both a decorative and a functional role.

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Porcelain Manufactory

Pair of Trumpet-shaped Vases

Germany
Circa 1880

Porcelain

Height :  51 cm (20 in.) ; Diameter : 24 cm (9,4 in.)

Fine pair of trumpet-shaped vases in porcelain, flaring widely at the top into an elegant, blossom-like rim. The slightly bulbous base rests on a circular foot accented with a gilded line.
They feature a compartmentalized decoration alternating white reserves with colored grounds. The deep pink ground, treated in a pattern of overlapping scales, evokes the famous so-called “Schuppenmuster” (scale pattern), frequently used at Meissen in the 18th century and revived in the 19th century in a historicist spirit. This regular latticework, painted in gradations from carmine pink to pale rose, creates an effect of optical depth. Rocaille-style cartouches composed of gilded scrolls and acanthus leaves frame the floral scenes and define the colored areas.
The bodies of the vases are adorned with finely executed polychrome decoration depicting an asymmetrical naturalistic bouquet. One can distinguish peonies, anemones, tulips, and wildflowers. To enhance the sense of naturalism, the artist has scattered small flying insects (beetles and butterflies) across the surface, a practice typical of Meissen.

The base bears the mark of the crossed swords painted in underglaze blue, the emblem of the Meissen manufactory since 1722. The presence of characters or workshop numerals near the mark may correspond to a variant or later workshop mark, suggesting 19th-century production in the taste of the 18th century, a period during which the manufactory produced numerous historicist reinterpretations of its Rococo models.

commentary

Founded by Auguste Le Fort in 1710, the Meissen manufactory was the first porcelain factory in Europe to rival production that had until then come from China, following the discovery in 1709 by the chemist Friedrich Böttger of the principles of porcelain manufacture and of the indispensable material, kaolin.
From its earliest days, the manufactory established its distinctive style through the work of talented artisans and the use of complex techniques. Among the most renowned sculptors were Johann Gottlieb Kirchner and Johann Joachim Kaendler, who left their mark on Meissen’s history with their animal figurines and exquisitely refined miniature sculptures.
Meissen porcelains are characterized by a hard-paste body, offering a uniquely brilliant whiteness, often hand-decorated with polychrome enamels or delicate gilding. The designs are frequently inspired by nature, hunting scenes, or Rococo motifs, which were highly fashionable in the eighteenth century. One also finds pieces adorned with flowers and birds, as seen in certain collections of table services and ornamental objects created for the European aristocracy.

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Designer & Sculptor (1827-1899)
(attributed to)

Pair of « roll-shaped » Vases

France
Circa 1870

Onyx, Gilded and silvered bronze

Height : 27,5 cm (10,8 in.) ; Width : 16,5 cm (6,5 in.) ; Depth : 15 cm (5,9 in.)

This beautiful pair of roll-shaped vases is composed of cylindrical onyx bodies circled by finely chased bronze mounts with gilt and silvered highlights, creating an elegant chromatic contrast. The upper section is surrounded by an openwork gallery decorated with scrolls and stylized motifs. On each side are attached movable handles adorned with scrolling designs. They rest on circular bases embellished with cherry blossoms, supported by scrolled feet accentuated with floral motifs and stylized leaves.

Through their slender proportions and the masterful combination of onyx and bronze, these vases may be attributed to Eugène Cornu (1827–1899), a Parisian bronze-caster renowned for his creations combining hardstones and high-luxury gilt bronze furnishings. These works fully embody the tradition of prestigious decorative objects intended to adorn salons and bourgeois or aristocratic interiors at the end of the 19th century.

Biography

The sculptor Eugène Cornu (1827-1899), installed in Paris at N.29 rue Popincourt, after having worked as a designer and then director for the renowned company Tahan, worked closely with the « Compagnie des Marbres Onyx d’Algérie », led by Gustave Viot, successor of Alphonse Pallu, at N.24 boulevard des Italiens. They produced luxurious furniture and art objects, incorporating onyx marble and bronze, with sometimes enamel, a combination then considered as a novelty and become quickly highly prized among wealthy collectors. They both showed at the 1867 Universal Exhibition held in Paris a fine pair of onyx, bronze and enamel vases (signed « G. Viot et Cie, Exposition de 1867, Eugène Cornu Inventeur » ; Catalogue Officiel de l’Exposition, groupe III, classe XIV, « meubles de luxe », n°65) for which Cornu and Viot won the Gold Medal (Rapports du Jury International, Exposition Universelle de 1867 à Paris, 1868, t. III, groupe III, classe XV, chapître II, § 2, p°45 & 46). Around 1873, Eugène Cornu became director of the Company, which took then the name of « Société des Onyx d’Algérie E. Cornu et Cie ». The name of this company refering to the quarries of onyx the firm exploited near Oran, Algeria, remained opened until the begining of the 20th century.

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France
Circa 1870

Rhodonite, Gilded bronze

Height : 14,5 cm (5,7 in.) ; Base : 8 x 8 cm (3,1 x 3,1 in.)

This pair of candlesticks is composed of a cylindrical shaft in polished rhodonite, set within an elaborate mount of finely chased and gilded bronze. Each candlestick rests on a tripartite base that emphasizes the overall stability and balance of the composition.
The upper section is formed by a circular gilded bronze bobèche with a molded profile, adorned with an engraved frieze of stylized geometric motifs. The shaft is encircled by vertical bronze struts, finely chased, extending into curved feet decorated with leaves and stylized hoof motifs.
The ornamentation is distinguished by the presence of ram’s heads sculpted in the round, applied to the upper part of the shaft. From these mascarons spring garlands of fruit and foliage, lending the ensemble an iconography inspired by Antiquity and associated with themes of abundance and strength. The animal heads, with their spiraled horns and naturalistic modeling, testify to a high level of technical mastery.

The combination of gilt bronze and rhodonite, a decorative material rare in European decorative arts, places these candlesticks within the tradition of early nineteenth-century luxury, in the Neoclassical taste. The quality of the gilding, still well preserved, together with the precision of the stone carving, suggests a commission intended for an aristocratic or grand ceremonial interior. The whole displays remarkable stylistic and material coherence, illustrating the alliance between lapidary arts and gilt-bronze furnishings in European decorative arts.

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France
Circa 1870

Giltwood, Marble

Height : 90 cm (35,4 in.) ; Width : 117 cm (46 in.) ; Depth : 55 cm (21,7 in.)

This carved and giltwood console table in the Régence style features an elegant, architectural composition. It stands out for its structure with two boldly curved console legs, richly carved with foliage, fluting, and scrollwork, ending in claw feet resting on molded bases.
The belt is abundantly decorated: at the center, a prominent radiating shell motif, framed by symmetrical scrolls and volutes, is set within a panel with a finely textured background. Carved drops and foliate ornaments accentuate the corners and reinforce the overall decorative balance. Although lavish, the ornamentation remains controlled, perfectly illustrating the transition between the rigor of the Louis XIV style and the decorative freedom of the emerging Louis XV style.
The two legs are joined by an openwork stretcher adorned with a central shell and scrolls, adding both stability and refinement to the structure. The white marble top, lightly molded, contrasts with the brilliance of the gilding, highlighting the depth of the carving.
The whole conveys an impression of prestige and lightness, characteristic of Régence consoles designed for formal reception rooms.

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Ceramic Manufacture (1845-1895)

A. de Caranza  

Designer (1843-1914)
(attributed to)

Presentation Bowl

Manufacturer’s Mark of J.Vieillard & Cie à Bordeaux

France
Circa 1880

Earthenware, Gilded bronze

Height : 11 cm (4,3 in.) ; Diameter : 38 cm (14,9 in.)

Beautiful circular earthenware bowl with polychrome decoration painted under glaze and heightened with manganese-brown lines. The rim and background are adorned with a rich, compartmentalized historicist design, alternating rectangular cartouches and circular medallions. The latter feature stylized zoomorphic figures (confronted lions and chimeras), rendered in black on a white ground encircled in turquoise blue, evoking a heraldic and Neo-Renaissance repertoire.
The center is occupied by a large circular polychrome medallion depicting a coat of arms surmounted by a helmet. This central medallion is framed by an architectural motif in black and ochre reminiscent of cut leatherwork, with pronounced scrolls and projections, set against a dense reddish-brown ground covered with a repetitive vegetal design of scrolling foliage and leaves.
A wide circular turquoise-blue frieze with black scrollwork separates the central decoration from the rim. The chromatic palette (turquoise blue, black, reddish-brown, ochre, and white) is characteristic of the productions of the Jules Vieillard & Cie manufactory, which here draws inspiration from Italian Renaissance maiolica and Hispano-Moresque decorative arts, reinterpreted in an eclectic idiom typical of the 19th century.

The bowl is set within a finely chased and pierced gilt-bronze mount forming an openwork border decorated with regular scrolls and interlace, resting on three feet shaped as dog heads terminating in scrolls.
This mount, probably contemporary with the object, reflects the practice of enhancing decorative earthenware with gilt-bronze mounts intended for prestigious display in a bourgeois or collectors’ context. The whole illustrates the high technical and decorative standards achieved by the Bordeaux manufactory under the direction of Jules Vieillard, as well as its taste for learned historical references adapted to the decorative arts of its time.

Biography

Bordeaux knew at the beginning of the 19^th century a great development of fine earthenware due to the establishment of a manufacture by Boudon de Saint-Amans. That factory was however quickly sold to David Johnston, whom opened a factory in Bacalan that counted then up to 700 workers. The production became industrial, with printed patterns of varied colors. Jules Vieillard took after in 1845 David Johnston’s company. His work was crucial to the industrial success of the Bacalan manufacture and also to the artistic quality, which was unanimously celebrated during the famous Universal Exhibitions. His earthenware even earned the generic name of « Vieillard ceramics ». In his last period, Jules Vieillard developed an exceptional Orientalism through his creations. In 1865, his sons Charles and Albert, took after the factory under the company name of « Manufacture Jules Vieillard et C^ie », and produced a lot of various designed pieces, particularly decorated with birds and flowers. However, their printed decors were of quite poor quality. To solve that problem, they decided to renew the forms of the pieces, evolving towards fashionable decorative pieces, such as lamps, jardinieres and vases. As for the oldfashioned decoration, the artistic department worked hard under the direction of Amédée de Caranza newly arrived around 1875. This ceramist from Longwy, launched there in 1872 the famous eponymous enamels « Emaux de Longwy », renewing the ornemental vocabulary with his technique of partitioned enamel. His decorations mainly evoked the brilliance of Persian and Japanese objects. But, as Caranza left Longwy to Bordeaux, Longwy couldn’t keep  any longer its exclusivity. Caranza became then the manager of the Vieillard factory workshop in 1882, which knew thus a new momentum, until his departure a few years later, probably in 1885. The Vieillard factory closed down in 1895.

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Elegant pair of Vases

France
Circa 1860

Porcelain

Height : 51 cm (20 in.) ; Diameter : 18 cm (7 in.)

Pair of baluster-shaped vases in hard-paste porcelain, resting on a molded circular foot and flaring toward a neck with a flat rim highlighted by a gilt line. Each vase is fitted with two applied lateral handles, featuring openwork and gilded decoration with sinuous profiles, reflecting the historicist ornamental vocabulary of the mid-19th century. The surface is covered in a deep blue ground, richly enhanced with gilded decoration composed of leafy scrolls, volutes, trellis patterns, and stylized floral motifs. The design is organized around large oval reserves framed by gilt borders. On one side of each vase, the reserves depict animal and ornithological scenes painted in polychrome, showing exotic birds in idealized landscapes. These are rendered with great naturalistic precision and a subtle palette, reflecting the influence of zoological publications and the Orientalist taste then in vogue. On the opposite sides, the reserves are adorned with luxuriant floral bouquets composed of roses, dahlias, peonies, and garden flowers, executed with a keen sense of modeling, petal transparency, and chromatic gradation, characteristic of high-quality porcelain flower painting.

The alternation of decoration—bird scenes and floral compositions—together with the overall symmetry of the ornamentation, gives this pair a strong visual unity while highlighting the technical virtuosity of the painters and gilders. The ensemble attests to the expertise of the Valentine manufactory, active in the 19th century and renowned for its luxurious productions intended for a bourgeois and aristocratic clientele. It stands within the French tradition of display porcelain, heir both to the models of Sèvres and to the eclectic taste of the Second Empire.

The Valentine manufacture was a porcelain factory founded in 1832, following the discovery of a vein of kaolin in the central Pyrenees, at Saint -Gaudens. It was the only porcelain factory located in the south of France. Driven by political troubles, former porcelain makers of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, founded in the early nineteenth century a factory in Toulouse. By 1820, this factory named “Fouque and Arnoux, earthenware manufacturers, Place Saint-Sernin in Toulouse”, with seventy workers, installed a second factory in Saint-Gaudens, on the banks of the river Garonne, where the two factories finally consolidated in 1832. The factory employing up to 250 workers in the 1850s, was facing the Valentine hill, from where the 6 ovens of the factory were refuelling with wood, and which gave then its name to the porcelain wares. These “Valentine porcelain wares”, produced until 1878 in Saint-Gaudens, were made in pure white and milky hard-paste, with very bright enamel, and whose famous ”Valentine Blue” vases were colored with cobalt-blue. The decor was often enriched with floral bouquets and gold lines painted on enamel.

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Bronze-caster (active from 1831 to 1864)
(attributed to)

 « Bacchantes » gueridon

France
Circa 1860

Gilded bronze, Malachite

Height : 80,5 cm (31,7 in.) ; Diameter : 104 cm (40,9 in.)

Rare circular gueridon resting on a tripod base in finely chiseled and gilded bronze, supporting a matched Ural malachite top, circled by a frieze of water leaves and pearls.
The base is composed of three bacchantes executed fully in the round, presented as caryatids and joined together by leafy scrolls and cartouches adorned with mascarons. The figures, with their slender proportions and idealized anatomy, adopt a dynamic posture, their raised arms supporting the band beneath the top.
The triangular base with rounded angles is enriched with neoclassical motifs such as palmettes, gadroons, and acanthus leaves.

Through the exceptional quality of the casting, the finesse of the chasing, and the masterful balance between sculpture and decorative architecture, this gueridon belongs to the tradition of mid-19th-century Parisian state furniture. It may be attributed to the bronze-maker Henri Picard, whose workshop distinguished itself by works of extreme refinement intended for an aristocratic and international clientele, and by a learned reinterpretation of Antique and Renaissance models characteristic of the eclectic taste of the Second Empire.

Biography

Henri Picard (active 1831-1864), gilder and bronzemaker, settled in Paris at 6 rue de Jarente from 1831 to 1839, then at 10 rue de la Perle from 1840 to 1864. He carried out the gilding of the Petits Appartements of Napoleon III at the Louvre Palace. He produced a wide variety of works, such as a Japonist inkwell and Pompeian-style centerpieces. Henri Picard earned his reputation for the exceptional quality of his jardinières and fireplace garnitures.

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Sculptor (1822-1912)

Val d’Osne

Bronze-caster

Pair of “Nubians” torcheres

France
Early 20^th century

Patinated and gilded bronze

Total height : 234 cm (92,1 in.) ; Base height : 29 cm (11,4 in.) ; width : 38 cm (15 in.) ; Depth : 45 cm (17,7 in.)

Exceptional pair of patinated bronze Nubian figures with golden highlights. Each woman, draped in antique-style garments, stands gracefully with gilt anklets and her arms raised elegantly above her head to support a lighted torch. Their serene faces, marked by great softness, feature lowered eyelids and hair held in place by a gilt ribbon. The drapery, gathered with a gilt belt, emphasizes the subtle contrapposto of their stance.

Each figure stands on a circular base.

An edition number is visible on one of the bases (6471), consistent with the practices of the Val d’Osne foundry; a circular workshop stamp is also present.

Model of candelabra by Mathurin Moreau, illustrated in the catalogue of the Société anonyme des hauts-fourneaux et fonderies du Val d’Osne.

Biography

Mathurin Moreau was a major 19th-century French sculptor, celebrated for his academic and naturalistic style. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts and winner of the Prix de Rome, he exhibited regularly at the Salons from 1848 onward. His works often depict allegorical or feminine figures. He collaborated with many leading art foundries, including Barbedienne and the Val d’Osne, and received several distinctions, notably a medal of honor at the 1878 Exposition Universelle. His sculptures adorn numerous monuments and gardens in France and abroad.

The Val d’Osne Foundry, established in 1836 by Jean-Pierre-Victor André, became one of the most renowned French art foundries of the 19th century. Specializing in ornamental cast iron and bronze, it produced an extensive catalogue of statues, fountains, candelabra, and architectural elements. Known for the high quality of its castings and for collaborations with leading sculptors (including Mathurin Moreau, Carrier-Belleuse, and Pradier), the foundry exported worldwide and earned numerous awards at the Expositions Universelles. It remains a reference in the history of architectural ornamentation and urban decoration of the Second Empire and the Belle Époque. 

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Painter (1853-1929)

« The Arrival of the Bride »

Signed and dated E. Boutigny 1928

Oil on canvas

Height : 90 cm (35,4 in.) ; Width : 110 cm (43,3 in.) ; Depth : 7 cm (2,7 in.)

This elegant painting depicts the arrival of a carriage bringing the bride to a church. The moment captured is that of a worldly disembarkation, transformed into a social spectacle. The figures, richly dressed, fill the space in a dense and animated composition. The dresses, made of silky fabrics in shimmering colors, contrast with the men’s garments adorned with embroidery and gold buttons, highlighting the social hierarchy and refinement of the protagonists.

The light, diffuse and carefully controlled, emphasizes the central figures while leaving the peripheral areas in relative shadow. On the right, the presence of a beggar introduces a discreet note of social contrast, though without any real critical tension: it functions more as a picturesque motif inherited from the eighteenth-century tradition than as a form of denunciation. This restraint confirms the idealized dimension of the scene, in which the Ancien Régime is evoked as an age of elegance and harmonious sociability. Created at the end of Boutigny’s career, this work bears witness to a deliberate fidelity to a narrative and decorative aesthetic, running counter to contemporary avant-garde movements.

Biography

Paul Émile Boutigny (1853–1929) was among the most highly regarded painters of historical and fashionable genre scenes during the Third Republic. A pupil of Alexandre Cabanel at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he specialized at an early stage in genre scenes inspired by history, most often set in the eighteenth century. He thus aligned himself with the so-called “neo-gallant” tradition, inherited from Watteau, Fragonard, and Lancret, but reinterpreted through the sensibility and technique of the late nineteenth century. He made his debut at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1881 and exhibited there regularly, where his works met with a favorable reception. His success was based on a seductive, narrative, and decorative style of painting, perfectly suited to bourgeois and aristocratic interiors. At a time marked by the rise of Impressionism and later the avant-gardes, he deliberately chose to remain faithful to a classical aesthetic, embracing a certain stylistic conservatism. At the turn of the twentieth century and until the end of his life, Boutigny pursued this path with consistency. His later works, particularly those of the 1910s and 1920s, reveal a great freedom of brushwork while maintaining clarity of narrative and elegance of composition. The pictorial surface sometimes becomes more vibrant, reflecting a heightened sensitivity to light and movement.

Bibliography

– Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, Paris, Gründ.
– Catalogue du Salon des Artistes Français, années 1881–1895.
– Jean‑Paul Crespelle, La Vie artistique à la Belle Époque, Paris, 1966.
– Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Saint‑Denis – fonds Paul Émile Boutigny.
(References on the artist’s biography and exhibitions held during the 1880s and 1890s.)

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Bronze-caster (1810-1892)
(attributed to)

Orientalist Chandelier

France
Circa 1880

Gilded bronze, Enamel

Height : 68 cm (26,8 in.) ; Diameter : 19 cm (7,5 in.)

Elegant gilded bronze and polychrome cloisonné enamels chandelier with a single central light, connected to an enameled star-shaped ceiling canopy by chains that support an openwork enameled crown set with ruby-red cabochons. The whole is finished with a frosted bowl engraved with stars.

The red cabochons recall the precious stones of Byzantine icons or Gothic reliquaries, suggesting a liturgical chandelier; or, if not, it faithfully reflects the “modernized” Byzantine liturgical style that was highly fashionable in France at the end of the 19th century. The cloisonné enamels also add an Orientalist touch, commonly found in the productions of Parisian workshops of this period, such as the Barbedienne workshops.

Biography

Born in 1810, died in Paris in 1892, Ferdinand Barbedienne, the most important caster of bronze pieces of art during the second half of the 19th Century, created and directed in Paris one of the major artistic founderies of his time. Barbedienne specialised in classical reproductions, whose models were exposed in famous European museums. Their illustrated catalogues included many diverse objects such as busts, ornemental sculpture (clocks, candelabras, cups) sometimes even life-sized and also bronzes for furniture. Apart from his own production, Barbedienne worked for the most renowned sculptors such as Barrias, Clésinger and Carrier-Belleuse. All his works were highly esteemed and he, himself honoured by contemporary critics. At the London exhibition in 1851 Barbedienne’s firm won two « Council medals ». At the 1855 Universal Exhibition, he won a medal of honour. The success of Barbedienne’s firm brought him many official commissions, such in about 1860, as Barbedienne supplied bronzes for furniture for the Pompeian Villa of Prince Napoléon-Joseph, located avenue Montaigne in Paris. At the London Universal Exhibition of 1862 Barbedienne won medals in three different categories : Furniture, Silversmith work and Artistic bronzes. Barbedienne was made an officer of the Légion d’Honneur in 1867 and Commander in 1878 when he was compared with « a prince of industry and the king of bronze casting ». His glory did not decline with the passage of the time for at the Universal Exhibition of 1889 the critics thanked Barbedienne for the example he set for other bronze-casters by the perfection of his bronzes.

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Goldsmith (1824-2015)

Pair of ice water pitchers

USA – Circa 1880

Base numbered 140 and inscribed MFD &PLATED BY REED & BARTON

Pitchers numbered and inscribed PAT FEB 24 1880, PATENTED AUG 4 1868 et MAY 13.1879

Silver-plated metal

Total height : 42 cm (16,5 in.) ; Diameter base : 28 cm (11 in.)

These two silver-plated metal pitchers display the characteristic morphology of American ice water pitchers from the late 19th century. Their conical form, slightly flared toward the base, rests on a broad circular foot decorated with engraved vegetal friezes and concentric bands. Each pitcher is set on an articulated tilting stand, allowing the liquid to be poured without lifting the entire object, an innovation typically associated with American manufacture. The body is adorned with engraved and stamped decoration featuring geometric and stylized floral motifs, along with a frieze of cupids in the lower section. The conical lid, topped with a spherical finial decorated with flowers, is encircled by a discreet beaded frieze surmounting a band ornamented with cupids riding chariots. The lateral uprights, composed of double rods, support the body of the pitcher by means of richly chased articulated pivots. The structural elements display a high level of ornamental refinement, combining straight and circular lines, reflecting the Victorian taste for decorative abundance while maintaining industrial symmetry.

According to the catalogs preserved at the Museum of American Silver (Taunton, MA) and the reproductions published in Rainwater & Redfield (2001), models no. 140 and no. 2027 appear in the series “Ice Water Pitchers with Tilting Stand” produced between 1878 and 1884 and correspond to the large-size examples of the “Deluxe Tilting Ice Pitchers.”

The patent of August 4, 1868 concerns a spring-loaded tilting mechanism introduced between 1869 and 1870, while the patents of May 13, 1879 and February 24, 1880 relate to two filings concerning the hinges and the double-walled insulating lining, which came into use specifically after 1880.

historical and stylistic context

Ice water pitchers constitute a typology characteristic of American silverware in the post–Civil War period (circa 1865–1890). Designed to keep water cool by means of an internal double wall (often of pewter or nickel), they were among the display pieces found in bourgeois parlors, symbolizing both technical modernity and social status.

Stylistically, these pitchers belong to the American Victorian style, marked by an eclectic fusion of Neo-Gothic, Neo-Renaissance, and Orientalist influences. The geometrization of friezes, the juxtaposition of naturalistic and symbolic ornament, and the overall symmetrical composition reflect the rise of an ornamented industrial aesthetic.

Biography

Founded in 1824 by Isaiah Reed and Henry G. Barton in Taunton, Massachusetts, the firm of Reed & Barton became, in the 19th century, one of the most important American manufacturers of silver and silver-plated wares.
Its innovations in electroplating and mechanical casting enabled large-scale production that was both artistic and functional. The firm’s output is distinguished by the quality of its electroplated finishes and the integration of patented elements.

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Painter (1845-1926)

 « Les Fêtes Galantes »

Signed, located and dated G. Simoni. Paris. 1881

Oil on canvas

Dimensions with frame – Height : 165 cm (64,9 in.) ; Width : 105 cm (41,3 in.)

This large pair of oval paintings depicts elegant ladies and gentlemen dressed in eighteenth-century fashion, gathered in a vast formal French garden. The first painting shows an open-air concert: a group of musicians accompanies the stroll of refined couples moving along a path lined with flowering beds, beneath tall trees that filter a clear light. The second painting depicts a social rendezvous at the foot of a staircase adorned with statues and ornamental urns. Ladies in brightly colored silk gowns and cavaliers in pastel attire converse, while other figures recede into the depth of the park.

The palette is luminous, dominated by the greens of the foliage, the blues of the sky, and the pinks, blues, and whites of the fabrics. The brushwork, supple and vibrant, suggests the details of costumes and vegetation rather than describing them meticulously, creating an atmosphere of lighthearted and animated festivity.

These paintings belong to the Neo-Rococo revival that enjoyed great success in Paris during the Second Empire and then the Third Republic. Simoni draws inspiration from the tradition of the fêtes galantes of Watteau and Fragonard, reinterpreted by the painters of fashionable genre scenes of the Belle Époque.
The choice of the oval format, the staging of an idealized park, and the emphasis on polite conversation, music, and promenade all evoke a nostalgic and refined vision of the Ancien Régime, highly sought after by the Parisian bourgeois clientele of the late nineteenth century.
Through the liveliness of the brushwork, the care given to textiles, and the animation of the crowd, these paintings are close to the works of contemporaries such as Cesare Augusto Detti, Federico Andreotti, and Vittorio Reggianini, who were also active between Italy and Paris.

biography

Gustavo Simoni (1845–1926) was an Italian painter born in Rome who studied at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. From 1877 onward, Simoni began traveling throughout Europe (France, Spain) and especially in North Africa (Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria, where he settled for several years).
These travels nourished his inspiration and oriented him toward Orientalism, a nineteenth-century European artistic movement depicting life in the Maghreb and the Middle East, of which he became one of the leading Italian representatives. His works depict caravans, North African markets, street scenes, musicians, and Berber figures with realism and a keen sense of detail.
He won a gold medal at the Paris Salon of 1889 with his monumental scene The Burning of Persepolis. In the 1890s, he opened a studio in Paris and founded an Orientalist painting school in Rome to train young artists. He contributed to the Società degli Acquarellisti Romani (Association of Roman Watercolorists), and his works are now held in collections and museums around the world, notably in Glasgow, Leipzig, Melbourne, and New York.

bibliography

• • Crespelle, Jean‑Paul, La vie artistique au temps de la Belle Époque, Paris, 1966
• • Conisbee, Philip, Painting in 19th‑Century France, London, 1990
• • Expositions de peintres de genre mondain à Paris (catalogues de salons, 1875–1900)

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Goldsmith (19th Century)
(attributed to)

Pair of Gueridons

England
Circa 1890

Algerian Onyx, Patinated, gilded and silvered copper

Height : 95 cm (37,4 in.) ; Diameter : 46,5 cm (18,3 in.)

Exceptional pair of Neo-Greek–inspired gueridons, crafted in patinated, gilded, and silvered galvanic copper. The Algerian banded onyx tops are framed by a delicate frieze of palmettes. The decorative appeal of these gueridons is further enhanced by magnificent ivy leaves.
The tripodal bases are crowned with majestically detailed lion heads, symbols of power and nobility. The clawed feet flare gracefully, providing both stability and elegance to the structure. The whole is connected by a stretcher adorned with vegetal motifs.

This pair of gueridons stands out not only for the quality of its craftsmanship and its precious materials, but also for the harmony of its decoration, in which the ivy seems to come alive around the onyx, creating an elegant and timeless atmosphere at the crossroads of Neoclassicism and vegetal Romanticism.

Biography

The renowned firm Elkington, founded in Birmingham in 1824 by George Richards Elkington (1800–1865), began by producing silver mounts for perfume bottles. In 1829, the business expanded sufficiently to allow the company to establish itself in London. In the late 1830s, Elkington began experimenting with gilding and silver-plating based on the principles of electro-metallurgy and filed a patent in 1840, the rights to which were later acquired by the Parisian goldsmith Christofle. While Elkington owed its rise to the commercial exploitation of this new technical process, it nevertheless lacked the artists needed to rank among the leading silversmiths in England. The firm therefore employed two of the most skilled and renowned French designers, Albert Willms (1827–1899) and later Léonard Morel-Ladeuil (1820–1888). Through their works, they helped elevate Elkington’s reputation to the highest level during the famous national and international exhibitions.

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Bronze-caster (1810-1892)
(attributed to)

Neo-Byzantine Chandelier

France
Circa 1880

Gilded bronze, Enamel

Height : 61 cm (24 in.) ; Diameter : 25 cm (9,8 in.)

Elegant neo-Byzantine chandelier of geometric form with three light arms, in gilded bronze and polychrome cloisonné enamels. The enameled frieze decoration recalls Byzantine enamels, a well-known source of inspiration for F. Barbedienne workshops. The shaft, ending with a point, is adorned in its upper section with small chains and gilt spheres, and supports the light arms decorated with crosses and scrolling foliage. The cloisonné enamels, inspired by Byzantine screens, add an orientalist touch characteristic of the productions of Parisian workshops in the late 19th century.

Biography

Born in 1810, died in Paris in 1892, Ferdinand Barbedienne, the most important caster of bronze pieces of art during the second half of the 19th Century, created and directed in Paris one of the major artistic founderies of his time. Barbedienne specialised in classical reproductions, whose models were exposed in famous European museums. Their illustrated catalogues included many diverse objects such as busts, ornemental sculpture (clocks, candelabras, cups) sometimes even life-sized and also bronzes for furniture. Apart from his own production, Barbedienne worked for the most renowned sculptors such as Barrias, Clésinger and Carrier-Belleuse. All his works were highly esteemed and he, himself honoured by contemporary critics. At the London exhibition in 1851 Barbedienne’s firm won two « Council medals ». At the 1855 Universal Exhibition, he won a medal of honour. The success of Barbedienne’s firm brought him many official commissions, such in about 1860, as Barbedienne supplied bronzes for furniture for the Pompeian Villa of Prince Napoléon-Joseph, located avenue Montaigne in Paris. At the London Universal Exhibition of 1862 Barbedienne won medals in three different categories : Furniture, Silversmith work and Artistic bronzes. Barbedienne was made an officer of the Légion d’Honneur in 1867 and Commander in 1878 when he was compared with « a prince of industry and the king of bronze casting ». His glory did not decline with the passage of the time for at the Universal Exhibition of 1889 the critics thanked Barbedienne for the example he set for other bronze-casters by the perfection of his bronzes. 

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Bronze-caster (19th Century)

“Cupids” Chandelier

France
Circa 1880

Gilded and patinated bronze, Cristal

Height : 100 cm (39,4 in.) ; Diameter : 70 cm (27,6 in.)

Charming gilded and patinated bronze chandelier composed of nine branches ending with illuminating roses. The central lattice basket of pearls and crystal rosettes supports three seated cherubs carrying luminous torches. The whole is suspended by ribboned uprights ending in a ceiling light with openwork foliage decoration.

 
A “B M” mark with a workshop number (019) indicates a stamp from the Boin-Masson firm, a Parisian bronze worker active in the late 19th century and precursor of the Boin-Taburet house.

Commentary

The Boin-Masson firm emerged in Paris during the Second Empire, at a time when major artistic bronze workshops were flourishing (Barbedienne, Beurdeley, Christofle, etc.). Boin-Masson was founded through the partnership of Alexandre Boin and Étienne Masson, both master ornamentalists working with gilded bronze, crystal mounts, and decorative chiselling inspired by the 18th century. The firm established itself in the bronziers’ district of Paris, first on rue Amelot and later on rue Chapon. Their pieces are signed or marked “B M” followed by a workshop number. Toward the end of the 19th century (circa 1880–1900), the firm passed into the hands of Georges Boin and Émile Taburet, becoming the Boin-Taburet company.

Sconces, chandeliers, candlesticks and other candelabra, which illuminate the rooms, grow considerably during the seventeenth century. Although already existing in the 17th century, the word “chandelier” was only used late because until the 18th century in the old inventories, the chandelier is designated by the word “candlestick”. Their refinement attests to the social status of their owner. At the end of the 19th century, major firms such as Barbedienne, Beurdeley, Christofle, and Boin-Masson / Boin-Taburet specialized in mounts inspired by the 18th century, but reinterpreted in accordance with the Second Empire taste.

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Designer and Art object Editor
(attributed to)

Pair of “Floral” Wall-Lights

France
Circa 1890

Porcelain, Gilded bronze, Painted sheet metal

Height : 50 cm (19,7 in.) ; Width : 31 cm (12,2 in.) ; Depth : 14 cm (5,5 in.)

Pair of wall-lights with two light-arms in sheet metal, gilded bronze and painted porcelain with gold highlights. Each composed of a half-cup with floral decoration in cartouches on a pink pastille background, surmounted by a bouquet formed of polychrome porcelain flowers and painted sheet metal leaves. They rest on a small gilded bronze console with leaf and flower motifs.

Biography

“L’Escalier de Cristal”, an old and famous Parisian firm, specialized in glass products and ceramics but also suggested furniture and bronze sculptures. It was led from 1885 to 1923 by Emile Pannier’s sons, who gave the name of Pannier Frères to the society, located at the corner of Scribe street and Auber street, next to the new built Paris Opera house. Their Japanese style creations were among many others much appreciated by the critics and the public. They were awarded many medals at various exhibitions, such as the Gold medal at the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition. Lots of artists participated in that world success, such as Emile Gallé, who gave to Pannier Frères the exclusive rights of some of his models, or François-Eugène Rousseau, who designed many vases and gave the model of his successful Japanese style dining-set as well. This set was made by the Creil et Montereau Manufacture. In the Japanese style furniture branch, many famous makers such as Majorelle from Nancy, Edouard Lièvre or Gabriel Viardot worked for Pannier Frères. Some pieces are to be seen in the greatest museums: the Ermitage in Saint-Petersburg, the Orsay Museum in Paris, the Corning Museum of Glass in New York.“L’Escalier de Cristal” was sometimes the exclusive owner of the models and then those pieces were just signed by “L’Escalier de Cristal” or sometimes beside the artist signature. But “L’Escalier de Cristal” was also very creative, completing pieces with superb, gilded bronzes, glass or enameled panels and often including authentic Japanese or Chinese elements.

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Bronze-caster (1860-1905)
(attributed to)

Chandelier « with Butterflies »

France
Circa 1890

Gilded bronze, Cristal 

Height : 120 cm (47,2 in.) ; Diameter : 77 cm (30,3 in.)

Chandelier with eighteen light-arms in gilded bronze, richly decorated with scrolls, pearls and cut crystal pendants. The whole is decorated on the shaft with three female figures forming caryatids and gilded bronze butterflies on the branches. In the lower part, a faceted ball adorns the whole.

biography

Henri Vian, a bronze-caster active in the second half of the 19th Century, made a lot of interior decorations with chimney mantelpieces, ormolu and patinated-mounted vases, chandeliers. He produced articles of the highest quality. The business, located at 5 rue de Thorigny in Paris (the Salé Mansion, now the Picasso Museum), was continued by Madame Vian after her husband’s death in 1905.

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Lotus Basin

Japan
Circa 1720-1750

Porcelain, Gilded bronze

Height : 52 cm (20,5 in.) ; Diameter : 56 cm (22,1 in.)

Important lotus basin with polychrome decoration in iron red, cobalt blue, and gold, known as the Imari Kinrande palette. Composed of two parts, the basin and the pedestal, the whole is decorated with stylized flowers, peonies, and chrysanthemums, framed by rectangular cartouches on a hexagonal lattice ground, typical of the Edo period (1603–1868). The interior, enameled in white, is pierced with a central drainage hole, indicating its original function as a lotus basin. The piece rests on a gilt and chased bronze base, French, from the late 19th century.

Commentary

The Imari porcelain is a ceramic style born around 1600 in the area of Arita (有田町), city of potters on the island of Kyushu, in southern Japan. According to tradition, this is a Korean named Ri Sampei installed in the region, who operated a kaolin deposit at the foot of the hill of Izumiyama. He managed the merger of kaolin, up to 1400 ° C, to obtain similar porcelain to the Chinese one’s ending thus a monopoly that was older than seven centuries. This porcelain is characterized by a decoration using three colors: cobalt blue, iron red and white background porcelain, the whole being embellished with gold. It mainly presents floral decoration and was called “Imari”, the name of the port on the island of Kyushu, from where it was exported, a few kilometers from Arita. Because of the supply problems in China due to political unrest in the seventeenth century, the Dutch, with their East Company of the United Provinces, imported the first Imaris from Japan. These porcelains were exported for European elites — kings, princes, nobles, and great merchants — who collected them as symbols of wealth, refinement, and openness to the world.

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Bronze-caster (1815-1903)
(attributed to)

« The Marmots » Centerpiece

France
Circa 1840

Gilded bronze

Height : 39,5 cm (15,5 in.) ; Diameter : 32,5 cm (12,8 in.) ; Base : 30 x 30 cm (11,8 x 11,8 in.)

Elegant Louis-Philippe period centerpiece, with rich Renaissance-inspired chiseled and gilded bronze decoration. Made up of a bowl decorated with interlacing, lined with a zinc basin resting on a pedestal decorated with palmettes around which 3 marmots placed on scrolls rotate, extended by 3 medallions in imitation of cut leather centered with a cabochon that can accommodate a coat of arms or a monogram. The whole ends with a tripod base decorated with garlands of fruit and leafy scrolls.

The design of this centerpiece, of high quality, is attributed Michel Liénard (1810-1870), , collaborated regularly with Guillaume Grohé, from 1839 to around 1855. His patrons included the goldsmith François-Désiré Froment-Meurice (1802-1855), notably for the toilet of the Duchess of Parma, preserved at the Musée d’Orsay, and the organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811-1899). This highly talented designer and sculptor was awarded the Legion of Honor in 1851.

Historical and artistic context

Centers and naves of tables are attested in France from the Middle Ages in order to present spices and other condiments brought from distant lands around the Mediterranean or from the trade of the Silk Roads. The importance of their presence on prestigious tables will be confirmed throughout the decorative arts, evolving during the 19th century in centerpieces, becoming a central element of decoration.

Biography

Guillaume Denière (Paris, 1815-1903) studied art under the direction of the renowned French ornemanist Aimé Chenavard (1798-1838) and the architect Henri Labrouste (1801-1875). He took over from his father, established since 1804 at n°15, rue Vivienne in Paris. The firm is prosperous, with four hundred workers satisfying the numerous orders from king Louis Philippe and wealthy private clients. Following in his father’s footsteps, the son produced bronzes for furniture, candelabras, clocks and table centerpieces. He collaborated with numerous artists including Carrier-Belleuse (1848-1913) and Constant Sévin (1821-1888). He delivered several clocks (Genius of the Arts, Woman reading with a dog) for the Tuileries Palace in 1852. The table centerpieces, supple and ingenious in style, as testified by that of the Duc d’Orléans (1842) were acclaimed by the critics. His works were very often remarked at the Universal Exhibitions, to such an extent that Emperor Napoleon IIIrd bought a mantel garniture at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris. His fame spread around the world. In 1854, he delivered a spectacular bronze centerpiece to the Russian Ambassador Kisselef, as well as decorative bronzes for the vice-king of Egypt, Saïd Pacha, in 1862, and the King of Cambodia, Norodom Ist (Screen of the Throne room).

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Crystal Manufacture
(attributed to)

Crystal Chandelier

France
Circa 1825

Crystal, Gilded bronze

Heigth : 77 cm (30,3 in.) ; Diameter : 48 cm (18,9 in.)

Elegant cut and faceted crystal chandelier with six lights. Composed of a cup decorated with palmets on a grid background surrounded by a gilded bronze crown with alternating decoration of flowers and faun’s heads on a leafy background. The set is suspended by three articulated chains threaded with crystals, attached to a crown-shaped gilded bronze ceiling light. The chandelier is adorned with numerous crystal pendants.

Between 1764 and 1860, with rare exceptions, the crystal Manufacture of Baccarat doesn’t sign its works. The first paper labels appear in 1860 and represent inside a circle, a carafe surrounded by a goblet and a cup above which is marked BACCARAT.  From 1875, the brand BACCARAT in stick letters and in relief is present on some blown models and on the bronze parts of the mounts. It’s from 1936 that the carafe, surrounded by a goblet and a cup with BACCARAT marked above, appears systematically on the production.

Biography

The famous crystal manufacture of Baccarat, that dates back to the 18th century, was awarded its first medal in 1823, during the “Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie” for the “brilliance and the sharpness of its crystal” and became then the most renowned French “cristallerie”. Baccarat was undoubtedly the only French manufacture, that exhibited steadily and magnificently its products at the various Universal Exhibitions, and especially between 1855 and 1867. Reports of the Universal Exhibition, from 1855 to 1867, talk about the “perfection of the material and of its cut”, considered superior of those from Bohemia or England.

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Clock-makers & Bronze-casters (Founded in 1813)
(attributed to)                           

« The Geisha » Wall-light

France
Circa 1860

Patinated, gilded and silvered bronze

Height : 84 cm (33 in.) ; Width : 60 cm (23,6 in.) ; Depth : 42 cm (16,5 in.)

Large Japonisme six-light wall-light in patinated bronze with gold and silver highlights, representing an elegant young woman in traditional Geisha Japanese outfit, seated on a branch of a Japanese rosebush whose flowers are formed of luminous corollas, and holding out a rose from her left hand.

Biography

The company Raingo Frères, founded in Paris in 1813, installed their workshops around 1830 at n°8 Touraine Street, then at n°102 Vieille-du-Temple Street. The four Raingo brothers first known as clockmakers, added to their 1841 sale catalog some art bronze works as well as decorative bronze pieces. In 1860, they supplied the palaces of the Emperor Napoleon III. First specialized in Antique statues reproductions, they cast then models sculpted by contemporary artists such James Pradier (1790-1852), Albert Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887) et Auguste Moreau (1834-1917).

“Japonisme”

From 1853, and the opening of Japan following the intrusion of the US navy, and more precisely from the 1860’s, the enthusiasm of everything coming from Japan or imitating its style conquers numerous occidental countries from France and Britain. This movement, called “Japonism”, will last until the early 20^th century. The previous centuries and decades had already had a certain interest for the exoticism such as chinoiseries ou turqueries in the 18^th century or the Orientalism of the 19^th century. The Japonism movement has been developed by artists looking for new means of expressions. Size, mediums, colors, drawing and perspectives are reinvented. Decorative Arts, as in painting, draw on those new sources of inspiration patterns to renew their repertoire.  

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Designers and Art object Editors
(active from 1799 to 1885)
(attributed to)

Wall-mounted Letter Rack

France
Circa 1860

Bronze, Glass, Mirror

Height : 48 cm (18,9 in.) ; Width : 35 cm (13,7 in.) ; Depth : 13,5 cm (5,3 in.)

Charming Japanese-inspired wall-mounted letter rack in chiseled and gilded bronze with geometric uprights imitating bamboo. The letter compartment is made up of three glass panes engraved with floral motifs, and a mirror at the bottom.

Biography

Alphonse Giroux and Company, famous curiosity and luxury goods shop was situated in Paris, at No. 7 rue du Coq-Saint-Honoré and in business from the time of the Consulate until the end of the Second Empire. The company was founded by Francois-Simon-Alphonse and continued in 1838 by his two sons, Alphonse-Gustave (1810-1886) and André (1801-1879). The father became a close associate of the royal family and specialized in the manufacture of refined items for gifts. Kings Louis XVIII and then Charles X were both supplied with gifts for « The Children of France » by Giroux. Making progressively small furniture, they were mentioned for the first time in 1837 in the class « cabinet-makers » in the Paris Almanach. It was Alphonse-Gustave, however, who really expanded the activities of the firm as is testified by the report of the jury at the 1839 Products of Industry Exhibition awarding him another silver medal. Alphonse was also quick to participate in the famous and soon figured among the best in the luxury goods business. After buying a writing desk at the 1855 Universal Exhibition Napoleon IIIrd bought several other pieces of furniture, candelabras and clocks from Giroux for the Compiègne Palace. In 1857 Alphonse Giroux transferred his shop to No. 43, boulevard des Capucines where he continued to do business until 1867, when he ceded the company to Duvinage and Harinkouck.

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Bronze-caster (1815-1903)
(attributed to)                                                                   

« Cupid » Bowl

France
Circa 1870

Gilded and silvered bronze, Crystal

Height : 23 cm (9 in.) ; Length : 46,5 cm (18,3 in.) ; Depth : 34 cm (13,4 in.)

Beautiful oval-shaped bowl with flared edges, in engraved crystal with floral interlacing decoration. It is enclosed in an elegant openwork frame in chiseled and gilded bronze with engraved foliage decoration extended by a beaded piedouche. The whole rests on a quadrilobed base, on which sit two Atlantean cupids in silvered bronze holding a drape, decorated on one side with a monogrammed cartouche and on the other with a palmette.

Biography

Guillaume Denière (Paris, 1815-1903) studied art under the direction of the renowned French ornemanist Aimé Chenavard (1798-1838) and the architect Henri Labrouste (1801-1875). He took over from his father, established since 1804 at n°15, rue Vivienne in Paris. The firm is prosperous, with four hundred workers satisfying the numerous orders from king Louis Philippe and wealthy private clients. Following in his father’s footsteps, the son produced bronzes for furniture, candelabras, clocks and table centerpieces. He collaborated with numerous artists including Carrier-Belleuse (1848-1913) and Constant Sévin (1821-1888). He delivered several clocks (Genius of the Arts, Woman reading with a dog) for the Tuileries Palace in 1852. The table centerpieces, supple and ingenious in style, as testified by that of the Duc d’Orléans (1842) were acclaimed by the critics. His works were very often remarked at the Universal Exhibitions, to such an extent that Emperor Napoleon III^rd bought a mantel garniture at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris. His fame spread around the world. In 1854, he delivered a spectacular bronze centerpiece to the Russian Ambassador Kisselef, as well as decorative bronzes for the vice-king of Egypt, Saïd Pacha, in 1862, and the King of Cambodia, Norodom Ist (Screen of the Throne room).

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Cabinet-maker (1830-1880)

Beautiful Commode

France
Circa 1880

Height : 91 cm (35,8 in.) ; Length : 140 cm (55,1 in.) ; Depth : 48 cm (18,9 in.)

Beautiful Louis XVI style commode in mahogay, flamed mahogany veneer, opening with three doors topped with drawers decorated with rich and fine ornamentation in chased and gilded bronze of female masks, ibexes and young satyrs among foliage scrolls and vine branches on a blackened wood background, as well as friezes of oves, ribbons and canals. It is decorated with two uprights with detached columns with brass-lined fluting ending in fluted spinning feet, and topped with a Spanish brocatelle marble.

This commode is inspired by a very characteristic model by Adam Weisweiler (1744-1820), one of the most illustrious cabinetmakers of the reign of Louis XVI. He designed several variations of his models, including a series of commodes with doors such as ours: tripartite front, spinning top feet, veneer panels framed with bronze mounts, detached fluted corner columns, with or without bronze frieze.

related work

Other commodes of this model are exposed in the world’s most famous museums, including a pair at the Louvre. This model was also made with ornamentation of lacquer panels or European varnish. Two of these commodes are preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (Wrightsman collection, 1977.1.12) and at the Kansas City Museum.

Commode by A. Weisweiler, 1788, collections of the Château de Compiègne

biography

Born in Luxembourg, Frédéric Schmit was a cabinetmaker specializing in mahogany and rosewood furniture, and meubles de fantaisie. He practiced at 9 rue de Charonne from 1856, then in 1870, the firm temporarily became SCHMIT, ALAVOINE ET PIOLLET at 9 and 24 rue de Charonne. In 1874, it became SCHMIT ET PIOLLET at 20 rue de Charonne, then moved to 22 from 1876, then became SCHMIT SUCCESSOR around 1888. He won a gold medal at the Universal Exhibitions of 1878 and 1889. Around 1878, the firm began manufacturing art furniture.

Adam Weisweiler (1744-1820), became Maître ébéniste on the 26th of March 1778. He settled rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine. Weisweiler was one of the greatest cabinet-makers of the Louis XVI period. Of German origins, he supposedly trained with the Roentgen. He came to France before 1777, when he got married in the capital. He worked essentially for marchands-merciers such as Daguerre, who sold his works to Queen Marie-Antoinette. With a great technical dexterity, he developed a very personal style playing on different materials such as pietra-dura, lacquer or Sèvres porcelaine plaques. Unlike the majority of cabinet-makers, the French Revolution did not affect his production. Weisweiler worked for Queen Hortense during the Empire period. A great part of his production is housed in public collections such as the Louvre Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

bibliography

P. Verlet, Le Mobilier Royal Français, Picard, Paris, 1990 ; Vol. I, plate XXIII, no.18.

D. Ledoux-Lebard, Le Mobilier Français du XIXe siècle, Dictionnaire des Ebénistes et des Menuisiers, Editions de L’Amateur, Paris, 1984, p.572.

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Bronze-caster
(attributed to)

Pair of Chandeliers

France
Circa 1900

Bronze, Glass

Height : 120 cm (47,2 in.) ; Diameter : 177 cm (69,6 in.)

Provenance : Former Bank place de l’Opéra, Paris

Exceptional pair of large patinated bronze chandeliers with gilded highlights with 16 external lights and 8 internal lights. They are composed of a fluted crown receiving golden flames, punctuated by 8 leafy light-arms ending in gadrooned binets and beaded bobeches, enclosing an opaque glass dome centered with an engraved star ending in a pine cone. It is topped with medallions decorated with rosettes alternating with 8 engraved photophores from which emerge 8 double-uprights in patinated bronze decorated with acanthus leaves, joining to form a canopy topped with acanthus and highlighted with scalloped drapery.

biography

Lacarrière established a factory in 1825 at 3 bis, rue Sainte-Elisabeth. He specialized and excelled in the application of bronze in lighting fixtures. He received an honorable mention in 1834, a bronze medal in 1839, and a silver medal in 1844 for a large candelabra with a triangular base, prefiguring the one presented at the Universal Exhibition in London in 1862. He also participated in the design of the chandelier for the Queen’s Theatre in London. From 1851 to 1870, he changed his company name several times.
Lacarrière, Delatour et Cie (active in 1870) cast and chiseled the majority of the lampposts, candelabras and chandeliers of the Paris Opera, including that of the hall, designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Opera, and modeled by Corboz. At the Universal Exhibition of 1878, the catalog wrote that “their exhibition demonstrates great skill and very pure taste in lighting bronzes intended for private homes.” In 1900, the company named Lacarrière et Cie supplied the fourteen monumental candelabras of the Pont Alexandre III, in Paris; a true tour de force at the time, since the largest of these pieces weighed 667 kg, for a height of 4.50 m and a diameter of 4.70 m.

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France
20th Century

Oak, Leather

Height : 97 cm (38,2 in.) ; Length : 134 cm (52,7 in.) ; Width : 65 cm (25,6 in.)

Pair of curved deckchairs in oak, with Havana leather upholstery. They are equipped with a rack and pinion system to adjust the inclination of the backrest and increase the comfort.

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Bronze-caster (Active from 1853 to 1918)
(attributed to)

Pair of Cassolettes

France
Circa 1870

Gilded bronze, Granite

Height : 47,5 cm (18,7) ; Width : 29 cm (11,4 in.) ; Depth : 24 cm (9,4 in.)

Pair of Louis XVI-inspired curved shape cassolettes with godrons, in green granite and chiseled and gilded bronze, in the Rocaille style. The lid is topped by a pomegranate surrounded by pine cones, grapes and pomegranates, the body flanked with large winding handles from which emerge reeds and that are attached to the neckline lined with leaves and palmettes. They rest on a scalloped openwork base, decorated with leafy scrolls. 

related work

Porphyry and gilded bronze vase, circa 1750, Musée du Louvre, OA 5152
Probably from the collection of the Duc de Tallard that the Marquis de Marigny proposed to sell to the Crown in 1778.
Reproduced in « Les bronzes dorés français du XVIIIe siècle », Pierre Verlet, Picard, 1987, p.62

Biography

The firm of Théodore Millet was founded in 1853. A very talented specialist in 18th Century reproductions, Millet produced furniture and artistic bronzes of the highest quality. He was one of the few cabinet-makers to obtain authorization from the Château de Versailles to make in 1902 a replica of Queen Marie-Antoinette’s great jewel cabinet. As an artist of great merit and specialising in « meubles et bronzes d’art, genre ancien et moderne », Millet obtained the highest rewards such as the Gold medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1889 for his first participation, and the Grand Prize at the Universal Exhibition of 1900. The photographic archives show, among the workshops views and the parisian shop, Millet’s stand at the Universal Exhibition in Saint-Louis (US) in 1904. The firm’s influence internationally is then through its antenna in New-York « Duryea and Potter », 469 fifth avenue, New-Yok. The firm lasted until 1918.

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France
Circa 1870

Silvered bronze, Crystal 

Height : 140 cm (55,1 in.) ; Diameter : 75 cm (29,5 in.)

Beautiful Louis XVI-inspired baluster-shaped chandelier, in crystal and silvered bronze mount. The central shaft, made of threads, is lit by 12 indirect lights and 12 light-arms ending in bobeches resting on leafy basins. A central crown, supporting elegant heart-shaped daggers, is suspended by garlands of round and oval faceted crystal beads from the light-arms and the top of the chandelier. Numerous pendants, prisms, flowers, daggers and drops, some of which are amber, adorn the whole, which ends with a faceted sphere.

related work

The model of these chandeliers is named “Marie-Antoinette” in homage to Queen Marie-Antoinette (1755-1793) who redesigned the Petit Trianon when she moved in, in 1777.

Similar chandelier located in the Grande Salle à manger of the Petit Trianon

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France
Circa 1880

Oak

Height : 228 cm (89,7 in.); Width : 96 cm (37,8 in.)

Rare pair of high relief carved oak doors. They are composed of a frame of canal friezes and each decorated with three molded boxes with a projecting panel, decorated with a medallion centered with acanthus, a rosette and a lion’s head. The back of these doors is also molded to echo the panels on the other side.

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Earthenware Manufacture (c. 1836-1847)

Japanese Style Table Service

England
Circa 1840

Model n°2618

Earthenware Imperial Stone

Charming earthenware part table service composed of 10 small plates, 2 square dishes, 3 round dishes, 2 rectangular dishes, with polychrome decoration enhanced with gold representing on the basin a bouquet of flowers in a vase and an incense box. Flowers and ribbons bloom on the wing.

Commentary

William Ridgway Son & Co was an earthenware manufacturer located in Stoke-upon-Trent, England. Working first with his father and brother, William Ridgway later partnered with his son Edward John Ridgway. Leonard Abington joined the firm which became William Ridgway Son & Co. In April 1847, William Ridgway withdrew from the business, Edward John Ridgway and Leonard J Abington continuing as Ridgway & Abington.

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Furniture Manufacturer (since 1819)

Salon Set

Stamped and bearing the label THONET WIEN

Austria
Circa 1904

Armchairs – Height : 106 cm (41,7 in.) ; Width : 54,5 cm (21,5 in.) ; Depth : 55 cm (21,7 in.)
Sofa – Height : 106 cm (41,7 in.) ; Length : 105,5 cm (41,5 in.) ; Depth : 53,5 cm (21 in.)
Gueridon – Height : 74 cm (29,1 in.) ; Diameter : 65,5 cm (25,8 in.)
Jette-habits – Height : 137 cm (53,9 in.) ; Length : 130 cm (51,2 in.) ; Depth : 44 cm (17,3 in.)

Elegant salon set in curved wood and cane, composed of two armchairs, a sofa, a gueridon and a jette-habits. The armchairs and the sofa have openwork backs decorated with five circular perforations and five vertical bars, and a geometric patterned cushion covers the seat.
The jette-habits is made up of three upper crosspieces in the shape of a humpback, an intermediate cane shelf extended by umbrella stands at the ends, and finally, a base ending in metal trays used to collect water from umbrellas or rain clothes.
They are accompanied by a gueridon designed by Josef Hoffmann and Gustav Siegel, with a circular top and base connected by four uprights formed of double columns separated by a sphere.

related work

The armchairs and the sofa are derived from the 511 model produced by Thonet from 1904, the bench under the number 2511, and the armchair under the number 1511. The jette-habits is listed under the number 11951

Biography

Michael Thonet (1796-1871) was a German-Austrian cabinetmaker and industrialist spotted, brought by Prince Clemens Metternich, Chancellor of Austria to Vienna in 1842, where he presented his creations to the Emperor. Employed by Clemens List, the leading Viennese cabinetmaker, the latter recommended him to the English architect of the Prince of Liechtenstein, and he was entrusted with the creation of the furniture and parquet flooring for the Liechtenstein Palace. In July 1851, Thonet presented his latest furniture at the London Universal Exhibition, where he received the Bronze Medal, contributing to his international reputation. Faced with the influx of orders, he expanded his facilities and purchased his first steam engine. Around forty employees worked in the company when he handed it over to his five sons, including a chemist ; but he actually continued to run it until his death.
International exhibitions expanded markets, and Thonet increased production. He moved the factory to Koryčany, Moravia, in July 1856, employing 300 workers and producing 200 pieces of furniture per day. In 1859, he decided to create a new company, and there he developed chair No. 14, which he created for Anna Daum, director of the Daum café, who dreamed of “practical, elegant and space-saving chairs.” Orders quickly followed, and Thonet decided to mass-produce No. 14 ; it would become his first industrial model, even bearing his name.
By the time of his death in 1871, his company had six factories in Europe, supplying a commercial network of 14 stores worldwide, including 15 Boulevard Poissonnière in Paris, which would become the headquarters of Thonet Frères France. Other shops were also located in Chicago and New York at this time. After 1945, Gebrüder Thonet was headquartered in Frankenberg, Germany. In 1976, the Austrian branch became independent under the name Thonet Wien. In 2006, the German company became Thonet GmbH.

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France
Circa 1840

Gilded and patinated bronze

Height : 88 cm (34,6 in.) ; Diameter : 60 cm (23,6 in.)

Beautiful Louis-Philippe period (1830-1848) patinated and gilded chiseled bronze chandelier. Twelve light arms with scrolls of acanthus leaves, alternating with stylized palmettes, illuminate the central part, surmounted by a crown. It is decorated in the lower part with acanthus leaves and ends with a seed. The whole is suspended by six double rods attached by hooks to a leafy ceiling light.

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Bronze-caster (1815-1903)

« Cage » Clock

Signed Denière Ft. de Bronzes/ A Paris

Case signed H. PICARD

France
Circa 1860

Gilded bronze

Height : 87 cm  (34,2 in.) ; Width : 58 cm (22,8 in.) ; Depth : 24 cm (9,4 in.)

Large and rare Louis XVI style cage clock in chiseled and gilded bronze, rectangular in shape, highlighted with friezes of water leaves and pearls, with glass panels decorated with tasseled draperies and ribboned foliage. The circular white enamel dial, adorned with garlands of flowers, indicates the hours and minutes in Arabic numerals. It is topped by a cassolette flanked by griffins holding a garland of vine leaves in their beaks. The pendulum is formed by a radiant mask of Apollo. Two uprights with acanthus scrolls, vines and cornucopias ending in hoof feet frame the case, supported by a winged sphinx carrying a garland of flowers. The whole rests on a molded base decorated with friezes of posts ending with cornucopia-shaped feet.

After nearly a century, the Denière company closed its doors and auctioned off its stock during six sales held between February and December 1903, granting the buyer the right to reproduce the company’s models. The current model, described as a “pendule à cage”, was acquired by François Linke at the third auction held between October 20 and 22, 1903, who successfully reproduced this model.

Clock based on the Denière model, from the photographic archives of F. Linke

Biography

Guillaume Denière (Paris, 1815-1903) studied art under the direction of the renowned French ornemanist Aimé Chenavard (1798-1838) and the architect Henri Labrouste (1801-1875). He took over from his father, established since 1804 at n°15, rue Vivienne in Paris. The firm is prosperous, with four hundred workers satisfying the numerous orders from king Louis Philippe and wealthy private clients. Following in his father’s footsteps, the son produced bronzes for furniture, candelabras, clocks and table centerpieces. He collaborated with numerous artists including Carrier-Belleuse (1848-1913) and Constant Sévin (1821-1888). He delivered several clocks (Genius of the Arts, Woman reading with a dog) for the Tuileries Palace in 1852. The table centerpieces, supple and ingenious in style, as testified by that of the Duc d’Orléans (1842) were acclaimed by the critics. His works were very often remarked at the Universal Exhibitions, to such an extent that Emperor Napoleon III^rd bought a mantel garniture at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris. His fame spread around the world. In 1854, he delivered a spectacular bronze centerpiece to the Russian Ambassador Kisselef, as well as decorative bronzes for the vice-king of Egypt, Saïd Pacha, in 1862, and the King of Cambodia, Norodom Ist (Screen of the Throne room).

Henri Picard was established in Paris, 6 rue Jarente from 1831 to 1839 and then 10 rue de la Perle from 1840 to 1864. He worked on the Emperor Napoleon III’s apartments gilding at the Louvre Palace. His production was in a rich and fine style, like a Japanese style inkwell, or his Pompeian style dining table centerpieces. He earned its reputation for the high quality of its planters and fireplace surrounds.

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Clockmakers & Bronze-casters (Firm founded in 1813)
(attributed to)

Pair of Andirons

France
Circa 1870

Gilded and patinated bronze

Height : 61 cm (24 in.) ; minimum Length : 101 cm (39,7 in.) / maximum Length : 150 cm (59 in.) ; Depth : 20 cm (7,8 in.)

Large pair of Louis XVI style andirons and its fender in patinated and gilded chiseled bronze. The andirons are decorated with fluted columns with asparagus, surmounted by flaming cassolette, in front of which are seated winged Cupids who have laid down their quivers and are blowing to fan the flame. They rest on feet hooves-shaped feet. The fender is decorated with an openwork frieze of interlacing centered with small flowers.

Biography

The company Raingo Frères, founded in Paris in 1813, installed their workshops around 1830 at n°8 Touraine Street, then at n°102 Vieille-du-Temple Street. The four Raingo brothers first known as clockmakers, added to their 1841 sale catalog some art bronze works as well as decorative bronze pieces. In 1860, they supplied the palaces of the Emperor Napoleon III. First specialized in Antique statues reproductions, they cast then models sculpted by contemporary artists such James Pradier (1790-1852), Albert Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887) et Auguste Moreau (1834-1917). Present at the Universal Exhibitions of 1862 in London and of 1867, 1878 and 1889 in Paris, it won awards each time, including the gold medal in 1889.

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Cabinet-maker and bronze-caster
(1847-1919)

 « The Coronation of Science » Clock 

Signed on the dial A. Beurdeley Paris
Mechanism signed J LEFEBVRE FILS PARIS

France
Circa 1880

Gilded and patinated bronze, Marble

Height : 55 cm (21,6 in.) ; Length : 58,5 cm (23 in.) ; Depth : 19 cm (7,5 in.)

Rare Louis XVI style clock in patinated and mercury-gilded chiseled bronze and white marble. In the form of an arched pediment, it is decorated with four Cupids, two carrying a garland of flowers highlighting the dial, and two others symbolizing the coronation of Science. The molded base in white marble, with a double recess, is decorated with a ribboned torus, a frieze of ribboned oak leaves and interlacing, and rests on six flattened ball feet.

related work

In 1774, the bronze-caster Robert Osmond (1711-1789) designed a first model known as “architectural drawing” illustrating The Coronation of Science. Also called The Children of France, it is decorated with a putti crowning a young girl drawing with a compass and delivered to Versailles by Lépine, clockmaker to the King since 1762, for the apartment of Madame Royale in the Princes’ Wing, on December 28, 1778.
This clock is described in the inventory of Versailles clocks from 1787, in the Clock Cabinet of the King’s apartments at Versailles : « 1. Une pendule de cheminée à chapiteau en bronze doré d’or moulu portée sur socle de marbre noir garni de frises à a grecque, les ornements de cette boette sont désignés par deux enfants assis sur l’entablement portant le chapiteau en forme de support, surmontée de deux génies dont l’un est couronné par l’autre, h. de 19 po. Sur 19 po ? 9 l. de large, par Charles Le Roy » 

This clock is inspired by the plate 77 of Osmond’s collection of drawings entitled : Pièce à portail grande Architecture avec 1 génie, vers 1775

Another version of this clock by the bronze-caster Osmond, described as a cartonnier clock and closer to the model executed by Beurdeley, and reproduced in Vergoldete Bronzen P. Pröschel and H. Ottomeyer, Munich 1986, vol. I, page 229, fig. 4. 1. 9., is kept at the Musée Jacquemart André.

Biography

In 1875, Alfred-Emmanuel Beurdeley (1847-1919) was at first assistant to and later succeeded his father Louis-Auguste Beurdeley, one of the main cabinet-makers of the Second Empire, specialising in 18th century furniture. Louis-Auguste was the star whenever he exhibited and was “most favored by the royal and imperial families”. Although he produced the same kind of works of art as his father, Alfred Beurdeley was also a very well-known art collector and a skilled bronze sculptor. With Dasson, Grohé, Sauvresy and Fourdinois, the most famous artists of the period, he took part in the 1878 Universal Exhibition and won the gold medal. Crowned with glory he went so far as to open a shop in New York. His participation in the 1883 Amsterdam Universal Exhibition drew considerable attention to his work and “Alfred Beurdeley, Fabricant de bronzes d’art” was then awarded the Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur, France’s hightest official mark of recognition. He thus won the respect of both the government and contemporary art critics. His last presentation was during the 1889 Universal and International Exhibition, when the director of the Exhibition wrote in his report : “The talent of Mr Beurdeley is self evident when one inspects his furniture.”

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Lighting manufacturer (1855-1937)
(attributed to)

Cupids Chandelier

France
Circa 1890

Gilded bronze, Alabaster

Height : 50 cm (19,7 in.) ; Diameter : 46 cm (18,1 in.)

Charming Louis XVI style chandelier composed of a gadrooned basin sculpted in alabaster surrounded by a frieze in chiseled and gilded bronze on which lie three small winged Cupids looking downwards.
The whole is suspended from an elegant ceiling light, decorated with acanthus leaves and ending in a seed, by three chains connected to the basin by leafy scrolls.

Biography

Henri-Antoine Beau (1855-1937), polytechnician, joined the Corps of Telegraphs Engineers and then as a partner from 1879 to 1880 in the firm Lecoq et Beau, specialized in gas lighting. From 1881 to 1898, the firm took the name Beau et Bertrand Taillet, then became Henri Beau et Cie from 1898 to 1911. Under his leadership, the firm innovated in the field of electric lighting, and successfully participated (“la maison Beau qui, en 1877, s’occupa de rendre pratique l’éclairage électrique” Rapport du jury international,  Classe 97 – Bronzes, Fonte et Ferronnerie d’art, Zinc d’art , Métaux repoussés  – Rapport de M. H. Vian, p. 39) in the successive Universal Exhibitions from 1878 to 1900, while contributing to the construction of the telegraph and telephone networks in Paris.

Bibliography

Le Bronzeland parisien, Un monde disparu, Sabine Lubliner-Mattatia, Les Indes savantes, 2022

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France
Circa 1860

Giltwood

Height : 183 cm (72 in.) ; Base : 66 x 66 cm (25,9 x 25,9 in.)

Provenance : Île-de-France Castle

Exceptional pair of Regence style carved and giltwood torcheres holders. The console shaft around which a dolphin is wrapped is richly decorated with leafy scrolls, shells, floral falls and a woman mask. It supports a circular top with palmette and acanthus, surrounded by a frieze of eggs.
The whole rests on a tripod base decorated with friezes of eggs and foliage, decorated with three dolphins leaning against a lambrequin and ending with six leafy feet.

According to the definition of the Dictionary of the Academy, in 1696, the torchère is a “kind of small pedestal table with a high shaft on which one places a torch, a candelabra, candles”.
In the last years of the 17th and 18th centuries, this piece of furniture was particularly appreciated for supporting candelabras and girandoles made of glass or rock crystal intended to illuminate interiors as well as sumptuous galleries such as the Galerie des Glaces at Versailles for which two models of twelve copies each were delivered in 1769, in anticipation of the marriage of the Dauphin: one with figures of children sculpted by François Toussaint Foliot ; the other with a figure of a woman sculpted by Pierre-Edmé Babel after the drawings of Jacques Gonduin, architect of the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne.

Galerie des Glaces – Palace of Versailles

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Crystal Manufacture

Pair of Crystal Candelabras

France
Circa 1870

Height : 115 cm (45,3 in.) ; Diameter : 53 cm (20,8 in.)

Beautiful pair of Baccarat cut crystal candelabras with ten lights. The central baluster-shaped shaft illuminates with two superimposed rows of six and three light arms with twisted branches, and is topped with a corolla. The whole is decorated with numerous octagons and crystal dart prisms.

Biography

The famous crystal manufacture of Baccarat, that dates back to the 18th century, was awarded its first medal in 1823, during the “Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie” for the “brilliance and the sharpness of its crystal” and became then the most renowned French “cristallerie”. Baccarat was undoubtedly the only French manufacture that exhibited steadily and magnificently its products at the various Universal Exhibitions, and especially between 1855 and 1867.  In all reports one can read about the « perfection of the material and of its cut ».

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“The Swing” and “The Archery”

France
18th Century

Oil on canvas mounted on wood

Height : 60 cm (23,6 in.) ; Length : 84 cm (33 in.)

A beautiful pair of paintings, one depicting Cupids playing on a swing on a tree trunk, and the other representing Cupids shooting bows and setting traps, all in a rural landscape.
The paintings are decorated at the corners with gilded rosettes, and surrounded by a frame decorated with interlacing.

These scenes of playing Cupids are characteristic of the charming subjects popular in 18th century France, one of the greatest artists of which being François Boucher (1703-1770).

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Earthenware Manufacture (1862-1904)

« Fables of la Fontaine » table service

England
Circa 1890

Earthenware

Charming table service consisting of 12 large plates and 4 dessert plates made in ironstone.
Octagonal in shape, each plate illustrates a fable by La Fontaine such as The Crayfish and His Daughter ; The Rooster, the Cat and the Little Mouse ; The Stag Seeing Himself in the Water ; The Turtle and the Two Ducks; The Two Pigeons ; The Frog and the Rat ; The Swallow and the Little Birds ; The Hare and the Frogs ; The Heron.

These creations, made and decorated in England, were imported into France and then distributed by the Grand Dépôt de Porcelaines et Faïences located 21 rue Drouot in Paris.

Commentary

Ironstone is a fine earthenware ceramic similar to porcelain to which feldspar and kaolin are mixed to make it whiter and more resistant.

Thomas C. Brown-Westhead, Moore & Co. was a manufacturer of high-quality, innovative porcelain, earthenware, Victorian majolica, and sanitary ware in Cauldon Place, Stoke-upon-Trent, England, from 1862 until 1904.

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Porcelain Manufacture

Art Nouveau Centerpiece

Bohemia
Circa 1900

Porcelain

Bearing the mark Royal Dux and numbered 1252

Height : 61 cm (24 in.) ; Length : 50 cm (19,7 in.) ; Depth : 28 cm (11 in.)

Large enamelled porcelain centerpiece with golden highlights, representing a nymph sitting on a shell like a ship sailing on the waves, supported by two male figures emerging from arum leaves and water lilies, one at the prow holding a conch in his hands.

Biography

Founded in 1853 in northern Bohemia in Dux near Prague initially to produce utility objects, the manufacture was bought in 1862 by Eduard Eichler (1830-1887), a renowned artist, which marked the beginning of its prosperity. But it was from 1898, following his installation in Berlin, that works of remarkable quality were produced. Around 1900, this important factory produced vases, figurines, often female subjects, in exuberant decorations of flowers, leaves on shell bases, fountains… The porcelain was left in the form of biscuit, gilded or painted, often green. During the Art Nouveau period, the company enjoyed success thanks to its collaboration with renowned artists such as the modeler-decorator Alois Hampel. The manufacture is still active today.

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France
Circa 1870

Patinated and gilded bronze

Height : 78 cm (30,7 in.) ; Base : 14,5 x 14,5 cm (5,7 in. x 5,7 in.)

Beautiful pair of Louis XVI style amphora-shaped vases in gilded bronze and canon de fusil patinated bronze. The neck, decorated with twisted fluting, is topped with a bouquet composed of three light-arms decorated with acanthus leaves and branches of flowering poppies. The belly is flanked by two scrolled handles on which sit two triton children holding a garland of flowers in their hands.

They rest on a pedestal decorated with acanthus leaves surrounded by a pearl frieze, ending with a molded square base decorated with foliate gadroons.

related work

This pair of candelabras is inspired by a model of vase-candelabras attributed to the famous bronze-caster Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813), in the collections of the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Pair of candelabra vases attributed to Pierre Gouthière (Bronzier, 1732-1813) dated around 1770 and kept at the Louvre Museum, OA 5169 1 and 2. A similar pair is kept at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles (inv. 72.DF.43)

Biography

Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813) married the widow of François Ceriset and took over Ceriset’s workshop in 1758. Protected by the duc d’Aumont, who commissioned several works from him, he started for the prestigious Menus-Plaisirs du roi. The artistic and technical qualities of his works (he invented the dorure au mat, which provided bronze with the appearance of gold) notably led him to work for Queen Marie-Antoinette, Madame Du Barry and the Comte d’Artois. He was the master of Pierre-Philippe Thomire, another great bronze-caster from the period. Even though he was greatly renowned, he died destitute. Very few of his works are still in existence. They can be found in the greatest museum collections: the Louvre, the Wallace Collection, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, or the Frick Collection. 

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France
Circa 1880

Porcelain, Gilded bronze

Height : 67 cm (26,4 in.) ; Diameter base : 13,5 cm (5,3 in.)

Beautiful pair of gourd-shaped vases mounted as lamps, in powder blue porcelain and Louis XVI-inspired mounts in chiseled and gilded bronze. The neck is decorated with acanthus leaves highlighted by a frieze of pearls, and two leafy handles blossom on the belly. They rest on a gilded bronze base decorated with foliage and rosettes.

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France
Circa 1870

Bronze 

Height : 116 cm (45,7 in.) ; Diameter : 66 cm (25,9 in.)

Beautiful neo-gothic chandelier with six lights, in patinated bronze with gilded highlights. The hexagonal architectural shaft is pierced with quadrilobed crosspieces, inspired by the decorative repertoire of Gothic art, and ends with foliage scrolls.
The six light-arms are attached to the leafy crown. The whole is suspended from the ceiling light by three openwork chains.

The very architectural and precise design of this chandelier evokes the creations of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879), who was not only a renowned theorician, but above all an accomplished architect, whose genius lay in his acute observation of medieval buildings in view of their restoration, as well as the continuation of the Gothic style in architecture and decorative arts.

The Gothic style was brought back into fashion by the architect Jacques Hittorf (1792-1867) with the decorations made for the coronation of Charles X in 1824. It had a great success among the public with the success of literary works such as “Notre-Dame de Paris” by Victor Hugo in 1831 or the play by Alexandre Dumas, « La Tour de Nesle » in 1832. The furniture also followed the trend, as the neo-gothic salon of the princesse Marie d’Orléans in the Tuileries castle, or the neo-Gothic cabinet of the Count and Countess of Osmond in their Parisian hotel.

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Crystal Manufacture
(attributed to)                                       

V. Paillard

Bronze-caster (1805-1886)

Pair of Wall-lights

Signed V^OR PAILLARD A PARIS

France
Circa 1870

Height : 77 cm (30,3 in.) ; Width : 41 cm (16,1 in.) ; Depth : 46 cm (18,1 in.)

Beautiful pair of Second Empire period wall-lights with eight lights in chiseled and gilded bronze decorated with acanthus and rosettes, topped with a musician Cupid playing the flute and ending in the lower part with a mask. The eight twisted and foliated light-arms, ending in binets with gadroons and pearl friezes, are organized around a central shaft decorated with a profile portrait of a woman in a beaded medallion and topped with a crystal dagger. The whole is decorated with numerous rosettes, prisms and crystal pendants.

Biography

Victor Paillard (1805-1886) was one of the most distinguished bronze casters in Paris during the second half of the 19^th Century. He was taught chasing by Jean-François Denière (1774-1866), then opened in the 1830’s his own workshop making “Art bronzes and Furnishing bronzes”, settled n°105, boulevard Beaumarchais in Paris. He executed first small objects, then cast statuettes, candelabra, clocks as well as impressive sized torcheres. He appeared to the public for the first time at the Industrial Products Exhibition of 1839 and worked for the greatest French sculptors, such as Pradier, Barye and Carrier-Belleuse. He exhibited extensively with great success being mentioned for the quality of his work at the famous 1851 and 1862 London Universal Exhibitions, and the 1855, 1867 and 1878 Universal Exhibitions then held in Paris. Paillard was there celebrated by everyone ; John Burney Waring ilustrates a gilt-bronze mirror by him in his “Masterpieces of Industrial Art and Sculpture, 1862 (Plate 92)”, which is a comprehensive record of the finest pieces on show in the London Exhibition. At that time, he was awarded a prize medal and the exceptional quality of his work was commented in all jury reports. Appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur by the French Government, Paillard employed since the 1850’s a hundred workers and proposed to his wealthy clients about four hundred models, cast in bronze not only after famous sculptors’ works, but also after his own creations. It is especially interesting that his “Cherub” figures, such as those ones presented here were particularly singled out for their charm and popularity by commentators at both the 1862 and 1867 Universal Exhibitions. Burney Waring noted that they portrayed the “happy and innocent moods of childhood”.

The famous crystal manufacture of Baccarat, that dates back to the 18th century, was awarded its first medal in 1823, during the “Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie” for the “brilliance and the sharpness of its crystal” and became then the most renowned French “cristallerie”. Baccarat was undoubtedly the only French manufacture that exhibited steadily and magnificently its products at the various Universal Exhibitions, and especially between 1855 and 1867.  In all reports one can read about the « perfection of the material and of its cut ».

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Crystal Manufacture
(attributed to)

Cut-crystal Centerpiece

France
Circa 1880

Crystal, Bronze

Height : 15 cm (5,9 in.) ; Length : 42 cm (16,5 in.) ; Width : 25,5 cm (10 in.)

Elegant oval cut-crystal centerpiece decorated with stylized palmettes on a grid background, resting on a silver patina bronze mount representing blooming branches.

Biography

The famous crystal manufacture of Baccarat, that dates back to the 18^th Century, was awarded its first medal in 1823, during the « Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie » for the « brilliance and the sharpness of its crystal » and became then the most renowned French cristallerie. Baccarat was undoubtedly the only French manufacture, that exhibited steadily and magnificently its products at the various Universal Exhibitions, and especially between 1855 and 1867. In all reports one can read about the « perfection of the material and of its cut ».

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