Raingo Frères - Pair of Andirons, France circa 1870

Maximum length : 150 cm (59 in.)

Large pair of Louis XVI style andirons and its fender in patinated and gilded chiseled bronze attributed to Raingo Frères. 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.