Michael Lake
Head of Department
Lot 37*
A pair of fine and impressive Empire 'Retour D'Egypt' gilt and patinated bronze seven light figural candelabraPossibly attributable to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, early 19th century
27 October 2021, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£65,000 - £75,000
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A pair of fine and impressive Empire 'Retour D'Egypt' gilt and patinated bronze seven light figural candelabra
Possibly attributable to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, early 19th century
Depicting an Egyptian King and Queen clad in draped robes and wearing nemes, their heads supporting pedestal urns, each urn issuing a pair of scrolling candle arms with foliate nozzles surmounted by a further scrolling arm and flanked by two crouching female figures, the standing figural supports each holding a further urn issuing four scrolling candle arms, the nozzles supported on ram's head or wolf's head cast terminals, the tapering shaped plinths applied with figural relief plaquettes depicting Diana and Endymion, raised on paw feet, 81cm high (2)
Depicting an Egyptian King and Queen clad in draped robes and wearing nemes, their heads supporting pedestal urns, each urn issuing a pair of scrolling candle arms with foliate nozzles surmounted by a further scrolling arm and flanked by two crouching female figures, the standing figural supports each holding a further urn issuing four scrolling candle arms, the nozzles supported on ram's head or wolf's head cast terminals, the tapering shaped plinths applied with figural relief plaquettes depicting Diana and Endymion, raised on paw feet, 81cm high (2)
Footnotes
The offered lot is a rare example of the large scale figural candelabra created in Paris at the turn of the 19th century in the 'Retour D'Egypt' style influenced by the return of the armies of Bonaparte from the Egyptian campaign.
A near identical pair of candelabra of this model differing in the treatment of the gilded elements of the bases was attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire when they was offered for sale at Picard, France, April 11, 1995, lot 61.
A further near identical pair of candelabra of this model with gilt and patinated bases was offered for sale Sotheby's, Paris (Collection of La Vicomtesse De Courval), March 25, 2014, lot 90.
The stylistic characteristics as well as the undoubted quality of their casting and finishing to the Egyptian figures in the current lot make them candidates for comparison to a pair of figural candelabras now in the collection of the Grand Trianon dating from circa 1800 (inv. OA 66110). These candelabra were originally acquired in 1838 under the July Monarchy to furnish the Château de Saint-Cloud but were subsequently moved to the Elysée Palace before a further later move to the Palace of Versailles in 1912 (see P. Arizzoli -Clémentel and J. P. Samoyault, Le Mobilier de Versailles, 19th century masterpiece, Dijon 2009 Number 94 pp. 266-267).
