Pair Of Empire Candelabra - Model by P.P. Thomire, Paris 1810

An impressive large pair of gilt and patinated bronze French Empire period candelabra, attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751–1843), featuring winged female figures or Victories. Each figure stands on a sphere and raises a wreath of flowers that supports three finely chiseled cornucopia branches of light filled with fruit. The candelabra rest on a beautifully detailed guilloche pedestal set upon a square stepped base. An identical pair belongs to the collection of the Mobilier National in Paris, illustrated in the last photo.


A defining element of these candelabra is the dark patinated bronze sculpture of Victory. The figure is of impressive scale and displays exceptional chiselling in details such as the hair, wings and drapery. The winged female figures and the bouquets of lights correspond closely to those found on a pair created around 1810 for the Court of Bavaria and signed “THOMIRE À PARIS”. Their clear composition and harmonious proportions testify to the refinement of the design. The naturalistically rendered fruit and flower wreaths beneath the branches of light are characteristic of Thomire’s work, a motif he developed from eighteenth century workshop traditions. Another leading Parisian bronzier, Louis-Isidore Choiselat (1784–1853), bronzier of the Garde-Meuble, delivered in September 1816 a pair identical to the present example for the Château de Rambouillet. They remained there until 1831 before their transfer to the Tuileries in 1833.


The design of the candelabra draws upon the work of Charles Percier and François-Léonard Fontaine. Their influential “Recueil de décorations intérieures” helped define the style that dominated European decorative arts during the first half of the nineteenth century.


This magnificent pair of early French Empire candelabra is preserved in very fine condition, retaining its original matt and burnished mercury gilding.


Origin: Paris, circa 1810.

Dimensions: height 60 cm (23.6"), base 12 x 12 cm (4.7" x 4.7").


Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751–1843)

Pierre-Philippe Thomire was a French sculptor who became the most celebrated producer of ornamental patinated and gilt bronze objects and furniture mounts during the First French Empire. Although originally trained as a sculptor, he followed his father into the bronze casting profession and received his training in the workshop of Pierre Gouthière, the foremost Parisian ciseleur-doreur of the Louis XVI period. Thomire established his own workshop in 1776.

In 1804 he acquired the business of the marchand-mercier Martin-Eloi Lignereux. The firm employed a large workforce in its workshop on rue Boucherat and presented its creations in a showroom on rue Taitbout. From there Thomire retailed a wide range of decorative objects inspired by antiquity, including candelabra, elaborate centrepieces, clock cases and monumental Greek and Roman style urns and vases.

Thomire was regarded as the greatest bronzier of his age and was patronised by Louis XVI, Napoleon and Louis XVIII, as well as many foreign monarchs and aristocrats. His reputation rose even further after the Revolution and in 1806 he became the first bronzier to receive a gold medal at the Exposition des Produits de l’Industrie. He won a second gold medal in 1809 and was appointed ciseleur de l’Empereur. In addition to Napoleon, he supplied numerous commissions to members of the Imperial family and to several European courts. Because of the quantity and quality of the works he produced for the royal palaces, his workshop became fournisseur de leurs majestés two years later. His oeuvre represents some of the finest expressions of the Empire style.

At the height of his career Thomire is believed to have employed six or seven hundred workers. He retired from his firm in 1823.

Literature
- Collection Mobilier National Paris Inv.Nr. GML-5881-001.
- Collection of Palace “Het Loo”, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.
- Dupuy-Baylet (Marie-France), “L’Heure, le Feu, la Lumière. Les bronzes du Mobilier national 1800-1870”, Dijon, 2010, p. 256.
- H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen”, Munich, 1986, p. 331, fig. 5.2.9.
- Koller Auktionen, Zürich, 16. September 2010, where a pair of the same model appeared in auction.