Offered by Galerie Gilles Linossier
A magnificent, finely chased and gilt-bronze centerpiece featuring three putti standing on a column-mounted plinth and supporting an openwork basket.
The figures are rendered with great naturalism, displaying supple, well-balanced anatomy. Their faces feature regular, smiling expressions, and their curly hair is exquisitely detailed. The modeling of the bodies and the meticulous treatment of the finely chased wings attest to craftsmanship of the highest quality. The drapery, minimal, consisting of a few folds gathered at the hip, directly evokes the Classical repertoire widely popular at the time.
The putti stand on the balls of their feet, with their other feet delicately positioned behind, giving them the posture of dancers. With raised arms, they support a flared, fully openwork basket composed of a series of palmettes linked by stylized scrolling foliage.
The base is accented by a frieze of rosettes and flowers, chased with remarkable delicacy. The varied finishes, alternating between matte, burnished, and polished surfaces, highlight the richness of the ornamentation and reveal a perfect mastery of chasing and gilding techniques, characteristic of the finest bronze-makers.
The cylindrical stem is decorated with floral garlands suspended between term figures topped with capitals; the base of these figures forms scrolling volutes.
The lower molding features a stylized "raie-de-cœur" leaf frieze, resting on a circular plinth intricately worked with a multitude of tiny, framed flowers, a feat of high-precision craftsmanship.
The piece rests on a square base, adorned on all four sides with friezes of foliage and small blossoms.
With its design, quality of execution, and rich ornamental vocabulary, this centerpiece ranks among the finest creations of the great Parisian bronze workshops. The composition featuring three putti supporting a basket, directly inspired by Antiquity, appears in several models executed by Pierre-Philippe Thomire, whose workshops supplied imperial residences as well as major European courts.
The quality of the casting, the precision of the chasing, the refinement of the ornamental details, and the excellence of the gilding allow this work to be directly attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751–1843).
Furthermore, given its impressive height of 51.5 cm, significantly larger than the majority of such objects, this piece was designed to serve as the centerpiece of a "surtout de table" or to hold a substantial floral arrangement, acting as a key element of table décor in the finest interiors.
This centerpiece thus stands out as a magnificent example of the works created for such purposes.
An early 19th-century piece attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, retaining its beautiful original gilding.
Dimensions: Height 51.5 cm x Width 21 cm x Depth 21 cm
