Rare Gilt and Patinated Bronze Mantel Clock
“The African Huntress”
Attributed to Jean-Simon Deverberie
The round white enamel dial indicates the Roman numeral hours and the Arabic numeral fifteen-minute intervals by means of two Breguet hands in blued steel. It is housed in a chased and gilt and patinated bronze case. The bezel is adorned with delicate stylized and bead friezes. The clock is surmounted by a magnificent female figure – a seated black huntress who is wearing a tunic and a feather loincloth, with a quiver containing feathered arrows slung across her chest. Her curly hair is held in place by a silvered headband and her glass eyes are naturalistic. She is wearing necklaces, rings and ankle bracelets; in her right hand she holds an arrow and in her left, a bow. Her left foot rests upon a turtle with a finely chased shell. On the opposite side, a seated lioness turns toward the huntress. The high, sloping and molded architectural base is decorated with ribbon-tied flower and leaf garlands, a bead frieze and an applied scene depicting young cherubs who are hunting and fishing. The clock is raised upon six finely chased feet.
Black figures were rarely used as a decorative theme in French and European horology before the late 18th century. It was not until the end of the Ancien Régime, and precisely the last decade of the 18th century and the early years of the following century, that the first “au nègre” or “au sauvage” clocks appeared. They echoed a philosophical current that was developed in several important literary and historical works, including Paul et Virginie by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (published in 1787, it depicts the innocence of Man), Atala by Chateaubriand (which restores the Christian ideal), and particularly Daniel Defoe’s 1719 masterpiece, Robinson Crusoe. The original drawing of the present clock, entitled “L’Afrique”, was registered by Parisian chaser-caster Jean-Simon Deverberie in the year VII (illustrated in Dominique and Pascal Flechon, “La pendule au nègre”, in Bulletin de l’association nationale des collectionneurs et amateurs d’horlogerie ancienne, Spring 1992, n° 63, p. 32, photo n° 2).
Among the known identical clocks one model, whose dial is signed “Gaulin à Paris”, is pictured in H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus, Band I, Munich, 1986, p. 381, fig. 5.15.25. A second model, featuring variations including the fact that the figure stands on an arch, is illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen Age à nos jours, Paris, 1997, p. 350. One further example, whose dial is signed “Ridel”, is in the Musée François Duesberg in Mons (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue “De noir et d’or, Pendules « au bon sauvage”, Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels, 1993).
Jean-Simon Deverberie (1764 - 1824)
Jean-Simon Deverberie was one of the most important Parisian bronziers of the late 18th century and the early decades of the following century. Deverberie, who was married to Marie-Louise Veron, appears to have specialized at first in making clocks and candelabra that were adorned with exotic figures, and particularly African figures. Around 1800 he registered several preparatory designs for “au nègre” clocks, including the “Africa”, “America”, and “Indian Man and Woman” models (the drawings for which are today preserved in the Cabinet des Estampes in the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris). He opened a workshop in the rue Barbette around 1800, in the rue du Temple around 1804, and in the rue des Fossés du Temple between 1812 and 1820.
An Important Monumental Mantel Clock in White Carrara Marble and Gilt Bronze with Matte and Burnished Finishing
“Cupid Caressing Venus”
Angevin
The Bronzes Attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire
The white enamel ring dial, signed “Angevin à Paris”, indicates the hours, fifteen-minute intervals and the Revolutionary date by means of three hands, two of which are made of pierced gilt bronze. The hour and half-hour striking movement is housed in a magnificent monumental case with white Carrara marble allegorical figures and finely chased bronze mounts with matte and burnished finishing. Surmounting the clock is a remarkable sculptural group depicting a seated Cupid with his quiver of feathered arrows lying at his feet. He gazes fondly at a young woman whose hair is swept up in a bun and held in place by a headband, and who holds aloft a drapery and a flower bouquet, symbolizing the promise of things to come. At her feet lies an anchor. She represents the goddess Venus. The group stands on a naturalistic rocky terrace with vines, grass, and a waterfall, which is sculpted from a single block of marble. The whole stands on a rectangular base with rounded corners featuring reserves with relief friezes depicting volutes, C-scrolls, and palmettes on the sides, and on the façade, a classical style frieze depicting Cupid’s chariot drawn by nymphs and driven by Hope, who holds an anchor. The base, which is adorned with a frieze of stylized leaves, stands on six toupie feet that are decorated with knurling and bead friezes.
The present monumental clock may be considered one of the finest Parisian creations of the final years of the 18th century and the early years of the following century. The theme was inspired by a verse from Ovid’s Metamorphoses which tells of the love between Venus and Adonis: “one day the winged child played on the goddess’s breast” (Ovid, 1806, X, 525). Here the goddess is depicted as Venus Anadyomen, or Venus rising from the sea, which is suggested by the anchor lying at her feet and the waterfall sculpted from marble. The attribution to Pierre-Philippe Thomire is based on the exceptional quality of the chased and gilt bronzes. It additionally relates to a clock that was probably made in the same workshop and was purchased for Tsar Paul I. That clock, which is today in Pavlovsk Palace, may be attributed to Thomire (illustrated in A. Kuchumov, Pavlovsk, Palace & Park, Aurora Art Publishers, Leningrad, 1973, p. 53).
Among the small number of identical clocks known, one model was valued at 240 francs in a posthumous inventory toward the end of the Consulate: “A clock bearing the name Hoguet à Paris in a white marble case adorned with two figures – Cupid caressing his mother, with matte gilding” ; a second example is in the Parnassia collection (illustrated in J-D. Augarde, Une odyssée en pendules, Chefs-d’œuvre de la Collection Parnassia, Editions Faton, Dijon, 2022, p. 64-65, catalogue n° 7); the author includes an anonymous engraving dated 1803, from Collection des meubles et objets de goût de Pierre de la Mésangère, which depicts a comparable clock that is smaller and made entirely of bronze; this engraving is today in the Musée Carnavalet in Paris.
Angevin
Mentioned as being in rue Saint-Martin in 1806, rue de Bondy in 1812, rue Melay in 1820, then rue de Saintonge in 1820, the Parisian clockmaker Angevin became very famous during the Empire period and the beginning of the Restoration (see Tardy, Dictionnaire des horlogers français, Paris, 1971, p. 9). During the early decades of the 19th century, certain of his clocks were described in the posthumous inventories of important collectors of the time, including that of the wife of Pierre-François Jean du Cluzel, Marquis de Montpipeau, Pierre-Antoine Forié (influential Administrator of the Postal Service); the wife of Auguste-Louis-Gabriel Sophie, Count of Montaigu; Emilie de Beauharnais, the wife of Antoine-Armand, Count of Lavalette; Louis-Marie-Auguste-Xavier, Count of Léautaud-Donine; and Louise-Félicité-Victoire d’Aumont, Duchess of Mazarin, the widow of the Prince of Monaco.
Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1757 - 1843)
Pierre-Philippe Thomire was the most important Parisian bronzier of the last quarter of the 18th century and the first decades of the following century. Early on in his career he worked for Pierre Gouthière, ciseleur-fondeur du roi, and toward the mid-1770’s began working with Louis Prieur. He later became one of the bronziers attached to the Manufacture Royale de Sèvres, creating the bronze mounts for most of the important creations of the day. After the Revolution, he purchased the stock of Martin-Eloi Lignereux, thus becoming the most important suppliers of furniture bronzes for châteaux and Imperial Palaces. In addition, he worked for a wealthy private clientele, both French and foreign, including several of Napoleon’s Marshals. Thomire retired in 1823.
Exceptional Desk Regulator with Remontoir d’Egalité, Equation of Time and Revolutionary and Gregorian Calendars
Enamel Dial by Etienne Gobin, known as Dubuisson
Case attributed to Cabinet Maker Ferdinand Schwerdfeger
Paris, Consulate period, dated 1800
Provenance:
– Vitale Collection, Christie’s, London, November 26, 1996, lot 279.
The white enamel ring dial, with a sky-blue band with alternating leaf motifs and palmettes adorned with cabochons framing camaïeu figures representing the signs of the Zodiac along its outermost border, is dated “1800” and signed “Dubuisson”. This is the signature of Etienne Gobin, the principal rival of Joseph Coteau and one of the most famous Parisian enamellers of the time. It indicates the Roman numeral hours, the minutes graduations, the Gregorian and Republican calendars, and the equation of time (that is, the difference between true, or solar time, and mean time). It also has a central seconds hand. All this information is indicated by five hands, two of which are made of chased and gilt bronze that is pierced with an interlace pattern. The dial is fixed to a hidden face plate that is signed “Cronier jeune/Elève de Robin”; it has two winding holes flanking the words “Remontez à gauche”. The back plate is also signed “Cronier Jne à Parisd1800”. The movement with complications, which has a compensated bimetallic pendulum, features a remontoir d’égalité, which is an ingenious device that allows unvarying energy to be delivered to the escapement and to avoid variations in power. The mechanism is housed in a rectangular case in the form of a mahogany pedestal with molded reserves, a molded and stepped pediment, a quadrangular entablature and a base with rectangular feet. All four sides are glazed; the façade is partially glazed.
In addition to its extremely precise movement with complications and its exceptional finishing, the present clock is remarkable due to its architectural case in polished mahogany, whose exceptionally sober design is meant to show off the ingenious mechanism and the beauty of the dial. Toward the end of the 18th century, one cabinet maker, in particular, was known for this type of case: Ferdinand Schwerdfeger (1734-1818), who is mentioned as “Ferdinand” in many auctions of the early 19th century. Upon the death of his wife in 1803, his workshop was said to contain almost nothing but mahogany clock cases. It was Schwerdfeger who made the case of the geographical clock that Antide Janvier presented in 1791 to King Louis XVI and which is today in the Musée National du Château de Fontainebleau (illustrated in M. Hayard, Antide Janvier 1751-1835, Horloger des étoiles, p.1995, p. 79) Schwerdfeger, who also made furniture for Marie Antoinette, was the creator of the case of the present clock. Among the known clocks with mahogany cases that are comparable and are often attributed to Schwerdfeger, one example is in the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie of Besançon (pictured in R. Mühe and Horand M. Vogel, Horloges anciennes, Bibliothèque des Arts, Fribourg, 1978, p. 115, fig. 152). A second clock is in the Centre national des Arts et Métiers in Paris (illustrated in Tardy, La pendule française dans le Monde, Paris, 1994, p. 145).
Cronier the Younger
The signature “Cronier jeune élève de Robin” appears only on horological masterpieces. Among the other known clocks that are also signed “Cronier jeune élève de Robin”, one astronomic clock was formerly offered on the art market in Switzerland. Despite the evident technical mastery of this clockmaker, little historical information is available about him. We know that he was mentioned in Paris during the Empire period in the Place des Trois-Maries (see J. de la Tynna, Almanach du commerce de Paris, des départements de l’Empire et des principales villes du monde, Paris, XIIe année, 1809, p.198). He was probably related to Antoine Cronier (or Crosnier), one of the best Parisian clockmakers of the second half of the 18th century, whose daughter Elizabeth-Emilie married a Parisian clockmaker named Antoine-Marie Philibert on 13 ventose year VII (circa 1798), and who lived at 50 Place du Pont Michel. At the time of the marriage, Antoine Cronier had two sons who were briefly mentioned, François-Antoine-Louis and Pierre-Joseph, but who were no doubt too young to be apprentices in Robin’s workshop, for they still lived with their parents at 140 rue Honoré. Jean-Baptiste-François Cronier, a second clockmaker who was active during the reign of Louis XVI, and who was almost certainly related to Antoine Cronier, is an interesting candidate – he became a master on September 27, 1781, had a son named Jean-François who also became a horologist, had a workshop in the Quai de la Mégisserie. It may be that he initially signed “Cronier jeune”, and then, after his younger brother became a clockmaker, signed “Cronier aîné” to differenciate between their work (see Tardy, Dictionnaire des horlogers français, Paris, 1971, p. 148).
Dubuisson (1731 - 1815)
Étienne Gobin, known as Dubuisson, was one of the best enamellers working in Paris during the latter part of the 18th century and the early 19th century. During the mid 1750’s he was employed at Sèvres, then opened his own workshop, being recorded in the 1790’s in the rue de la Huchette and, circa 1812, in the rue de la Calandre. Specializing in enamelled watch cases and clock dials, he is known for his great skill and attention to detail.
Ferdinand Schwerdfeger (1734 - 1818)
Ferdinand Schwerdfeger is one of the most important Parisian cabinetmakers of the late 18th century. After becoming a master in May 1786, he opened a workshop in Paris and quickly gained a following. His work, however, remains little known due to his becoming a master shortly before the Revolution, and to the fact that he rarely stamped his work. Among the pieces that may be attributed to him with certitude, one should mention an ensemble delivered to Marie-Antoinette, as well as several regulator and clock cases for some of the finest horologists of the day, including Antide Janvier, Jean-Simon Bourdier and Robert Robin (see M-A Paulin, Schwerdfeger, ébéniste de Marie-Antoinette, in L’Estampille/L’Objet d’art, October 2003).
Rare Gilt and Patinated Bronze Mantel Clock
“The African Huntress”
Movement signed by Joseph Mignolet
Case Attributed to Jean-Simon Deverberie (1764-1824)
Paris, Directory-Consulate period, circa 1800
Bibliography:
Dominique and Chantal Fléchon, “La pendule au nègre”, in Bulletin de l’association nationale des collectionneurs et amateurs d’horlogerie ancienne, Spring 1992, n° 63, p. 27-49.
The round white enamel dial, signed “Mignolet à Paris”, indicates the Roman numeral hours and the Arabic numeral fifteen-minute intervals by means of two engraved or pierced bronze hands. It is housed in a chased and gilt and patinated bronze case. The bezel is adorned with delicate stylized and bead friezes. The clock is surmounted by a magnificent female figure – a seated black huntress who is wearing a feather loincloth, with a quiver containing feathered arrows slung across her chest. Her curly hair is held in place by a headband and her glass eyes are naturalistic. She is wearing necklaces, rings, red earrings, and ankle bracelets; in her right hand she holds an arrow and in her left, a bow. Her left foot rests upon a turtle with a finely chased shell. On the opposite side, a seated lioness turns toward the huntress. The high, sloping and molded architectural base is decorated with ribbon-tied flower and leaf garlands, a bead frieze and an applied scene depicting young cherubs who are hunting and fishing. The clock is raised upon six finely chased feet.
Black figures were rarely used as a decorative theme in French and European horology before the late 18th century. It was not until the end of the Ancien Régime, and precisely the last decade of the 18th century and the early years of the following century, that the first “au nègre” or “au sauvage” clocks appeared. They echoed a philosophical current that was developed in several important literary and historical works, including Paul et Virginie by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (published in 1787, it depicts the innocence of Man), Atala by Chateaubriand (which restores the Christian ideal), and particularly Daniel Defoe’s 1719 masterpiece, Robinson Crusoe. The original drawing of the present clock, entitled “L’Afrique”, was registered by Parisian chaser-caster Jean-Simon Deverberie in the year VII (illustrated in Dominique and Pascal Flechon, “La pendule au nègre”, in Bulletin de l’association nationale des collectionneurs et amateurs d’horlogerie ancienne, Spring 1992, n° 63, p. 32, photo n° 2).
Among the known identical clocks one model, whose dial is signed “Gaulin à Paris”, is pictured in H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus, Band I, Munich, 1986, p. 381, fig. 5.15.25. A second model, featuring variations including the fact that the figure stands on an arch, is illustrated in P. Kjellberg, Encyclopédie de la pendule française du Moyen Age à nos jours, Paris, 1997, p. 350. One further example, whose dial is signed “Ridel”, is in the Musée François Duesberg in Mons (illustrated in the exhibition catalogue “De noir et d’or, Pendules « au bon sauvage”, Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels, 1993).
Joseph Mignolet or Mignonet
Joseph Mignolet or Mignonet became a Master Clockmaker in 1786, on Saint-Honoré Street in Paris.
Jean-Simon Deverberie (1764 - 1824)
Jean-Simon Deverberie was one of the most important Parisian bronziers of the late 18th century and the early decades of the following century. Deverberie, who was married to Marie-Louise Veron, appears to have specialized at first in making clocks and candelabra that were adorned with exotic figures, and particularly African figures. Around 1800 he registered several preparatory designs for “au nègre” clocks, including the “Africa”, “America”, and “Indian Man and Woman” models (the drawings for which are today preserved in the Cabinet des Estampes in the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris). He opened a workshop in the rue Barbette around 1800, in the rue du Temple around 1804, and in the rue des Fossés du Temple between 1812 and 1820.
Rare and Important Mantel Garniture in Gilt and Patinated Bronze with Matte and Burnished Finishing
“Putti astride the Handles”
Attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire
Paris, Directory-Consulate period, circa 1800
The present mantel garniture is made entirely of finely chased gilt and patinated bronze with matte and burnished finishing. It is composed of a central vase that contains the clock, and two lateral vases. The clock has a white enamel dial that indicates the Arabic numeral hours, fifteen-minute intervals and date, by means of three hands, two of which are made of pierced and gilt bronze. The hour and half hour striking movement is housed in a case in the form of a Medici vase. It is made of finely chased gilt and patinated bronze with matte and burnished finishing. The lip is decorated with a frieze of alternating stylized palmettes, oak leaves, and C scrolls; the upper part of the dial is adorned with ribbon-tied flower and leaf garlands; its lower portion is adorned with a mask flanked by outstretched wings; the scrolling handles support two putti who are seated astride the handles and hold leaf garlands that continue over the belly and are suspended from roundels. The lower portion is decorated with acanthus leaves and palmettes; the pedestal is adorned with a knop with stylized motifs and a ribbon-tied leaf and seed torus. It is set on a stepped entablature, which itself is set on a quadrangular base with a double lozenge motif that contains rosettes, palmettes, and facing griffons. The molded plinth features a frieze of lambrequins and water leaves alternating with foliage. The two similarly decorated lateral vases are notable principally for the wide Neoclassical bands that adorn their bellies and depict nymphs and bacchants holding hands and dancing.
The remarkable design of this garniture, and particularly that of the putti sitting astride the handles, as well as the exceptional quality of the chasing and gilding, are characteristic of the finest Parisian creations of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. While they have several features that are reminiscent of Louis XVI vases, including the magnificent toruses adorning the pedestals, and the flower and leaf garlands, they also present characteristics of the greatest creations of the Empire period, concerning, for example, the treatment of the chasing and the motifs of the bases. The harmonious and balanced blend of these two styles is typical of the transition period, in which the artistic and decorative tendencies came together during the passage from the 18th to the 19th century, that is, from the Directory to the Consulate. During this period, one bronze caster in particular became famous for his talent and his creative genius: Pierre-Philippe Thomire, the remarkable artisan to whom we attribute the present garniture. Thomire’s signature appears on a rare Medici vase made of gilt and patinated bronze, whose lip is similarly treated and whose belly features a comparable classical-style frieze. This vase, which is in the Decorative Arts Museum of Budapest, is illustrated in H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus, Band I, Munich, 1986, p. 362, fig. 5.12.3.
Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1757 - 1843)
Pierre-Philippe Thomire was the most important Parisian bronzier of the last quarter of the 18th century and the first decades of the following century. Early on in his career he worked for Pierre Gouthière, ciseleur-fondeur du roi, and toward the mid-1770’s began working with Louis Prieur. He later became one of the bronziers attached to the Manufacture Royale de Sèvres, creating the bronze mounts for most of the important creations of the day. After the Revolution, he purchased the stock of Martin-Eloi Lignereux, thus becoming the most important suppliers of furniture bronzes for châteaux and Imperial Palaces. In addition, he worked for a wealthy private clientele, both French and foreign, including several of Napoleon’s Marshals. Thomire retired in 1823.
Rare Patinated Bronze Group representing “The Parting of Hector and Andromache”
Attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, created under the direction of Louis-Simon Boizot after a bisque group of the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
Paris, early 19th century, circa 1800-1810
This very fine group featuring four figures illustrates one of the best-known episodes of classical mythology. The Trojan prince Hector is shown wearing a plumed helmet, a cloak, and antique armor. He embraces his wife Andromache, who is wearing a diadem and holds their son Astyanax in her arms as she gazes sadly at her husband. They stand next to a truncated column that stands on a rock. Behind them, a young woman holds the child’s cot. She may be either the nursemaid or Helen, who had become a friend of Andromache. The figures stand on a round plinth that is treated in a naturalistic manner. It bears the title “The Parting of Hector and Andromache”.
The theme of the farewell of Hector, the Prince of Troy and the son of King Priam, and his wife Andromache, was frequently treated by Parisian artists and artisans beginning in the final decades of the 18th century. Taken from the Iliad, the famous epic poem by the Greek poet Homer, it depicts the moment when Hector, about to combat Achilles and certain he will be defeated, says goodbye to his loved ones. This iconography was given a different treatment in the clock that the Lepautes delivered in 1805, which was to be placed on the mantel of the Grand Salon of the Petit Trianon, and is today in the French Public Collections (illustrated in M-F. Dupuy-Baylet, Pendules du Mobilier national 1800-1870, Editions Faton, Dijon, 2006, p. 111, catalogue n° 47).
The present group was cast in bronze after a Sèvres bisque statuette that was created circa 1797-1798 under the direction of Boizot; an example of that model is in the Louvre Museum in Paris (see T. Préaud and G. Scherf, La Manufacture des Lumières, La sculpture à Sèvres de Louis XV à la Révolution, Editions Faton, Dijon, 2015, p. 270). The group’s exceptionally fine chasing suggests it should be attributed to the talented bronze caster Pierre-Philippe Thomire. Thomire also worked with Boizot on another bronze group that is today in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (see T. Picquenard, “Catalogue de l’œuvre sculptée de Louis-Simon Boizot”, in the exhibition catalogue Louis-Simon Boizot 1743-1809, Sculpteur du roi et directeur de l’atelier de sculpture à la Manufacture de Sèvres, Musée Lambinet, Versailles, 2001-2002, p. 165-166).
Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1757 - 1843)
Pierre-Philippe Thomire was the most important Parisian bronzier of the last quarter of the 18th century and the first decades of the following century. Early on in his career he worked for Pierre Gouthière, ciseleur-fondeur du roi, and toward the mid-1770’s began working with Louis Prieur. He later became one of the bronziers attached to the Manufacture Royale de Sèvres, creating the bronze mounts for most of the important creations of the day. After the Revolution, he purchased the stock of Martin-Eloi Lignereux, thus becoming the most important suppliers of furniture bronzes for châteaux and Imperial Palaces. In addition, he worked for a wealthy private clientele, both French and foreign, including several of Napoleon’s Marshals. Thomire retired in 1823.
Louis-Simon Boizot (1743 - 1809)
The son of Antoine Boizot, a designer at the Gobelins tapestry manufacture, Boizot worked in the atelier of sculptor René-Michel Slodtz (1705–1764), who also trained Houdon. Boizot married Marguerite Virginie Guibert, the daughter of sculptor Honoré Guibert. In 1778 he was admitted to the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture and exhibited at the yearly salons until 1800. His portrait busts of Louis XVI and Joseph II were created in 1777 and made in bisque porcelain at Sèvres.
From 1773 to 1800 Boizot directed the sculpture workshop of the Sèvres porcelain Manufactory, producing the series of unglazed biscuit figures with a matte finish resembling that of marble.
Boizot also created terracotta designs for gilt-bronze clock cases, such as that of the allegorical “Avignon” clock in the Wallace Collection in London, which was cast and chased by Pierre Gouthière in 1777.
Rare Pair of Two-Light Gilt Bronze Candelabra with Knurled, Patinated, Matte and Burnished Finishing
Paris, Consulate period, circa 1800
The candelabra feature an anthropomorphic stem in the form of a young Black boy with enameled face and eyes. The boys are wearing earrings and a double row of pearls around their necks, as well as a loincloth with pierced latticework trimming that is held in place by cords. In either hand they hold light arms in the form of tapering torches that terminate in gadrooned basins with drip pans whose rims are knurled. The figures stand on tall cylindrical bases with mille-raie decorated bands and concave molding; the bases are supported on circular plinths that are raised on three small lions’ paw feet.
It was not until the late 18th century that “exotic” figures became a common decorative theme for works of decorative art in France and Europe. Toward the end of the Ancien Régime –more precisely during the final decade of the 18th century and the early years of the following century – the first models of candlesticks, candelabra and clocks known as “au nègre” or “au sauvage” appeared. They echoed the new philosophy that informed some of the most famous literary and historical works of the day, including Paul et Virginie by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (published in 1787, it speaks of the innocence of Man), Atala by Chateaubriand, which restores the Christian ideal, and Robinson Crusoe, the masterpiece that Daniel Defoe published in 1719. As was often the case, these literary works were a rich source of inspiration for the artisans of the period, and particularly for bronze casters. This resulted in many elegant works featuring similar figures; they inspired numerous models of lighting instruments and clocks. By the end of the 18th century, certain models were found in the homes of important collectors of the time – for example, in 1789 in the home of the lawyer André-Marie Alix, in 1790 in the home of Marie-Victoire de Saint-Simon, and in 1808 in the home of François-Joseph Lelièvre de Lagrange.
This was the context within which the present pair of candelabra was made. Today only a small number of similar models are known; they sometimes feature variations in the treatment of the bases. Among them, one pair, in which the figures are wearing feather headdresses, was sold by Christie’s, Monaco, on December 5, 1992, lot 87. A second example was formerly in the collection of Baron Erich von Goldschmidt-Rothschild (sold in Geneva, Habsburg-Feldman, May 10, 1988, lot 127). Two further pairs of comparable candelabra are in the Musée François Duesberg in Mons (illustrated in Musée François Duesberg, Arts décoratifs 1775-1825, Bruxelles, 1998, p. 60-61).
Victory Candelabra
Paris, circa 1800-1805
A fine pair of Empire gilt and patinated bronze three-light candelabra “à la Victoire”, the stem of each, formed as a classically-robed winged Victory whose uplifted arms support a lamp issuing from a pilaster placed upon her head and featuring three candle branches that terminate in vase-shaped candle nozzles with stylised flames. Each figure stands on a cylindrical anthemion-mounted and foliate-cast base that is supported by crouching griffons and rests upon on a shaped triangular green marble base.
These very fine and unusual candelabra relate to those made by renowned bronzier Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843), who created a similar pair today in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (illustrated in Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen”, 1986, p. 329, pl. 5.2.4).
Thomire’s candelabra were inspired by designs of Napoleon’s architects and ornamentalists Charles Percier (1764-1838) and Pierre François Léonard Fontaine (1762-1853), who in turn had been inspired by Antique statues of Victory (illustrated ibid., p. 328, pl. 5.2.1 and p. 329, pl. 5.2.3 respectively).
A number of such figures were made during the early nineteenth century, produced by such artisans as Italian artist and designer Filippo Pelagio Pelagi (1775-1860) whose designs for the winged female caryatid supports for a console, circa 1833-34, are today in the Biblioteca Archiginnasio Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe, Raccolta Disegni Palagi (inv. 2155) in Bologne. They are illustrated in G. Beretti, A. Cotiino, B. Gallizia di Vergano, L. Melegati, “Gli Splendori del Bronzo, Mobili e oggetti d’arredo tra Francia e Italia 1750 1850”, 2002, p. 149, pl. 74.
