Pair of Torcheres, France Circa 1890, attributed to Lacarriere Delatour & Cie

An important pair of Neoclassical torchères in chased, gilded and patinated bronze. The upper section is crowned with an openwork antique-style incense burner, flanked by two ram’s heads and resting on a vase from which emerges a bouquet of six candle arms, designed with scrolling, foliate volutes and tendrils.
The central tapering shaft is decorated with bands of ovolo motifs and laurel garlands in gilded bronze. The whole rests on a tripod base supported by three consoles, each terminating in lion’s-claw feet.

BIOGRAPHY

Lacarriere established a workshop at 3 bis, rue Sainte-Élisabeth, in 1825. Initially a modest craftsman, he went on to specialise in, and excel at, the use of bronze in lighting fixtures. He received an honourable mention in 1834, a bronze medal in 1839, and a silver medal in 1844 for a large candlestick with a triangular base, anticipating the design of the piece he presented at the 1862 International Exhibition in London. He also contributed to the design of the chandelier for the Queen’s Theatre in London.
Between 1851 and 1870, the firm changed its trading name several times.
Lacarrière, Delatour & Cie (active in 1870) cast and chased most of the floor lamps, candelabra and chandeliers for the Paris Opéra, including the chandelier in the auditorium, designed by Charles Garnier, the opera house’s architect, and modelled by Corboz.
At the 1878 Exposition Universelle, the exhibition catalogue was keen to emphasise that “their exhibits demonstrate great skill and a very refined taste in bronze lighting fixtures intended for private residences”.
Finally, the firm was responsible for the fourteen monumental candelabra on the Pont Alexandre III in Paris. These represented a remarkable technical achievement at the time, as the largest of these pieces weighs 667 kg, stands 4.50 metres high and measures 4.70 metres in diameter.