G. Denière - "Cupids" Bowl, France circa 1870

Beautiful oval-shaped bowl with flared edges attr. to G. Denière, 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 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).