An esteemed producer of bronze for many of Paris’s prestigious cabinetmakers during the late 19th century, Maison Mottheau et Fils is also renowned for elaborate furniture designs that combine function and decoration.
Throughout the late 1800s, Maison Mottheau et Fils designed and produced decorative gilt-bronze objets d’art and furniture, including ormolu-mounted tea tables and ornate Neoclassical-style clocks. However, the company was mostly known for its lines of exquisite Louis XVI wall lights, chandeliers, candelabras and lanterns. With the introduction of electricity in the 1890s, Maison Mottheau et Fils incorporated the new technology into its lighting fixtures, and the company flourished.
Maison Mottheau et Fils was inspired by famed bronzier Pierre Gouthière (1740–1806) in many of its designs; it also collaborated with several well-known French sculptors. Among them was Frédéric-Eugène Piat (1827–1903), who designed an onyx and gilt-bronze torchère lumineuse for the company that was shown at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Maison Mottheau et Fils’s display also featured a pair of large Napoleon III gilt-bronze candelabras, each lit by ten electric lights.
The company’s electrical lighting exhibit garnered critical acclaim, prompting the Art Journal to write in 1900 that the “French Section shows many examples of fine work applied under the new conditions, but we doubt if a more complete success is to be recorded to the credit of any exhibitor that can be conceded to Messieurs Mottheau et Fils.”
Today, pieces by Maison Mottheau et Fils continue to be highly sought by collectors of late 19th-century furniture.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of antique Maison Mottheau et Fils lighting, decorative objects and other furniture and collectibles.
19th Century French Louis XVI Style Ormolu Twenty-Seven Light Chandelier, c.1890
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique late-19th century French palatial ormolu bronze twenty-seven light chandelier by the renowned designer and bronzier Maison Mottheau et Fils. This chandelier is in superb cond...
Bronze, Ormolu
19thc XL French Louis XV Gilt Bronze Sconce Signed by Maison E. Mottheau & Fils
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in Opa Locka, FL
Rare 19thc Massive French Louis XV Gilt Bronze Gas Converted Wall Sconce Signed by Maison E. Mottheau & Fils Paris. Masterpiece large and heavy figural Sconce. Room dominating C...
Bronze
$24,016Sale Price|20% Off
A Very Fine C19th Ormolu Mounted Bureau de Dame by Maison Mottheau
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in London, GB
A French Ormolu Mounted Kingwood , Tulipwood and Parquertry Bureau De Dame dated C1880s The mount are by Maison Mottheau Lovely Bombe Shaped Decorated with Sunburst Parquetry and Angel Candelabras...
Kingwood
Magnificent French Gilt Bronze Chandelier, circa 1890-1900 by Maison Mottheau
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in Sheffield, MA
A Magnificent French Gilt Bronze Chandelier Circa 1890-1900 Stamped E. MOTTHEAU PARIS Maison Mottheau et Fils of Paris. 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris The fixture fe...
Ormolu
Pair 19th Century Gilt Bronze Marble Urns by Maison Mottheau
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in Houston, TX
Pair of 19th Century marble urns by Maison Mottheau. Each carved from solid marble and mounted with finely cast gilt bronze ram’s heads, laurel-leaf ornament, and pinecone finials, r...
Marble, Bronze
A Louis XVI Style Gilt-Bronze and Blue Enamel Cartel Clock and Barometer
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Louis XVI Style Gilt-Bronze and Blue Enamel Cartel Clock and Barometer, By Maison Mottheau & Fils., Paris. This exceptional cartel clock and aneroid barometer exhibit the finest p...
Bronze, Enamel
French 19th/20th C. Louis XV Style Kingwood Parquetry & Ormolu Coffee Tea Table
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Very Fine French 19th/20th Century Louis XV Style Kingwood Parquetry and Ormolu Mounted Butler Coffee or Tea Table by Émile Mottheau - Maison Mottheau et Fils. The serpentine recta...
Bronze, Ormolu
A 19th Century Louis XV Style Ormolu & Cut-Glass Chandelier by Mottheau et Fils
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine and rare French 19th century Louis XV style ormolu-mounted and cut-glass eight-light chandelier with a suspended bell-shaped blown-glass candle-bowl, by Mottheau et Fils,...
Bronze
Pair of Louis XV Rococo Style Gilt Bronze Wall Sconces
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in London, GB
Pair of Louis XV Rococo style gilt bronze wall sconces. French, late 19th century. Measures: height 77cm, width 44cm, depth 24cm. The two wall lights in this pair are crafted fr...
Ormolu
Antique Gilt-Bronze Clock and Barometer Set by Maison Mottheau et Fils
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in London, GB
Antique gilt-bronze clock and barometer set by Maison Mottheau et Fils French, c. 1880 Height 85cm, width 45cm, depth 30cm This ornamental clock and barometer set were crafted by th...
Bronze, Enamel
A Magnificent Gilt Bronze Chandelier in the Regence Taste
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Magnificent Gilt Bronze Chandelier depicting Lions Pelts in the Regence Taste. France, circa 1900. 20 lights. Dimensions: Height 51" Diameter 39" CW5424
Bronze
$188,909
H 98.43 in W 21.26 in D 13 in
Exceptional Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze and Malachite Grandfather Clock
Located in London, GB
Exceptional Louis XVI style gilt bronze and malachite grandfather clock French, late 19th century Measures: Height 250cm, width 54cm, depth 33cm This superb longcase clock is a wonderful example of the Belle Époque impetus to draw inspiration from the styles of the past. The clock, crafted during the late nineteenth century—though the malachite finish is later—is inspired by a famous eighteenth-century original. The clock is of traditional form, which a cubic clock case inset with an enamel dial and a gilt bronze bezel cast with signs of the zodiac. The central section of the clock includes a window, which reveals the pendulum inside, while the lower section is in the form of a plinth. The malachite veneer is wonderfully varied, with lighter and darker shades of the stone utilised to add visual interest. The clock is surmounted by a sculpture in gilt bronze of Apollo in his chariot, pulled by a quadriga of horses. The dial is signed for Rosel Bruxelles...
Malachite, Ormolu
$3,160Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 10.75 in W 4.125 in D 3.75 in
19th Century Neoclassical Gilt Bronze Grand Tour Mounted Urns, a Pair
Located in Atlanta, GA
These urns are extremely high quality in decoration and casting. True Neoclassical gilt bronze grand tour objects and what makes it better? A PAIR!.
Bronze
$1,081 / set
H 16.54 in W 8.27 in D 4.73 in
Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Wall Sconces By Gherardo Degli Albizzi
By Gherardo Degli Albizzi
Located in Florence, Tuscany
A fine set of French Louis XV style gilt bronze sconces By Gherardo Degli Albizzi Beautifully cast in the traditional manner with all the sumptu...
Bronze
$3,500Sale Price / set|61% Off
H 13.8 in W 11 in D 4 in
Wall Sconces Gilt Bronze French Rococo Louis XV 18th Century France
Located in New York, NY
Wall Sconces Gilt Bronze French Rococo Louis XV 18th Century France. A pair of wall sconces made during the louis XV period in France. Two candleholding arms - can be wired if wanted...
Ormolu
$9,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 28 in W 16 in D 4 in
Allegorical Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Cartel Clock Depicting "Night and Day"
By Jacques Caffieri
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
The clock features a cartouche shaped case housing an hour and half-hour striking movement with a round white enamel dial, indicating the Roman numeral hours and the Arabic five-minute intervals by means of two pierced patinated bronze hands...
Bronze
Antique French Crystal and Bronze Chandelier, circa 1890-1900
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique Charming French Crystal and Bronze Chandelier, circa 1890-1900. There is a second identical chandelier available.
Crystal, Bronze
$125,000
H 30.5 in W 79.5 in D 38 in L 30.5 in
French 19th Century Louis XV Style Ormolu-Mounted Kingwood Bureau-Plat Desk
By H. Conquet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine and large French 19th century Louis XV style ormolu mounted (gilt bronze) kingwood and walnut bureau plat by H. Conquet after a model by Charles Cressent. The shaped rect...
Bronze
French Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze and Cut Glass Chandelier, circa 1900
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
An elegant French Louis XVI style chandelier dating to circa 1900, beautifully combining an architectural gilt and patinated metal frame with an exceptionally rich arrangement of fac...
Bronze
$3,040Sale Price|20% Off
H 37.75 in W 31.25 in D 19 in
18th Century French Walnut Bureau de Dame, Louis XV Style, Elegant
Located in Atlanta, GA
An elegant 18th-century French lady’s writing desk, or bureau de dame, crafted in warm walnut with graceful cabriole legs and serpentine lines characteristic of the Louis XV period. ...
Walnut
$2,240
H 37.75 in W 30.38 in D 18.75 in
Fine Antique French Marquetry Inlaid Bureau De Dame Circa 1890
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Fine and very well made Ladies writing desk in Louis XV style. An antique bureau de dame, with highly detailed marquetry in exotic woods with bronze mounts. The desk with a slight bo...
Brass
$4,025 / set
H 12.6 in W 4.73 in D 4.73 in
Antique Pair French Grand Tour Gilt Bronze & Marble Urns 19th Century
Located in London, GB
A superb antique pair of French Grand Tour gilt bronze and marble Borghese Campana urns, circa 1870 in date. This pair of gilt bronze campana urns is after the Borghese models, with...
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
$4,359
H 29.53 in Dm 28.75 in
Magnificent Antique Empire Style Crystal Chandelier, France, circa 1900–1920
Located in Antwerp, BE
Magnificent Antique Empire Style Crystal Chandelier, France, circa 1900–1920 A grand and richly detailed antique crystal chandelier in the Empire style, dating from the early 20th c...
Crystal, Brass
$13,657
H 28.35 in W 13.39 in D 5.12 in
Late 18th Century, French Louis XVI Neoclassical Ormolu Gilt Bronze Cartel Clock
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
A very fine Louis XVI period ormolu striking cartel clock “aux guirlandes”, the movement signed on the white enamel by Gille L’Aine, Paris. Pierre II. Gille l’ainé (1723-1784) was th...
Bronze, Enamel
Pair Louis XV Rococo Style Gilt Bronze Two Light Sconces
Located in New York, NY
Pair of 19th century French Louis XV Rococo Style Gilt Bronze two light Sconces.
Bronze
Pair of Rococo Style Gilt Bronze Wall Sconces
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in London, GB
Pair of Rococo style gilt bronze wall sconces French, late 19th Century Height 77cm, width 44cm, depth 24cm The two wall lights in this set are crafted from gilt bronze in the Rococ...
Ormolu
Sold
H 17.72 in W 8.67 in D 4.34 in
Neoclassical Gilt Bronze Clock and Barometer Set by Maison Mottheau
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in London, GB
This beautiful clock and barometer are contained by matching gilt bronze cases, wrought in the elaborate Louis XVI style, the duo thus constituting a pair. The cases feature gilt bro...
Ormolu, Bronze
Sold
H 11 in W 13.5 in D 6 in
French Ormolu-Mounted Bleu Turquin Marble Figural Clock by Maison Mottheau
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
A French ormolu-mounted Bleu Turquin marble figural clock by Maison Mottheau Paris, circa 1880. A very nice clock, with very good quality mounts...
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
Sold
H 69 in W 56 in D 41 in
Palatial Late 19th Century Gilt Bronze and Cut Crystal Chandelier by Mottheau
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in Long Island City, NY
A unique and palatial late 19th century gilt bronze and cut crystal twenty-four-light basket chandelier By Mottheau and Son Paris Wonderful quality bronze casted cage in oval f...
Crystal, Bronze
Sold
H 10.25 in W 21.5 in D 7 in
French Bronze Sculpture of a Lioness by Mottheau Foundry, Signed G. Poitvin
By Maison Mottheau et Fils
Located in Shippensburg, PA
FINE FRENCH BRONZE SCULPTURE OF LIONESS With foundry stamp of "Mottheau, Paris" and seal of "Syndicat Fabriq de Bronzes 1818 Unis" Signed "G. Poitvin" and impressed 1910, 22 and 10...
Bronze