Le Louvre French Antiques

A charming wrought iron wine bottle holder from Beaune, France, circa 1900, this wine accessory features realistically crafted grape bunches, c...

Using the ancient metalworking technique known as repousse, this copper bas relief plaque of a young nobleman was hand-chiseled by a French artist in...

A truly remarkable piece of history, this rare fireback was cast in France in the 1600’s. The fireback depicts the coat of arms of Henri Jules de Bourbon, Prince of Conde. Henri was a member of the cadet branch (officially The Most Serene House of Bourbon-Condé) of the House of Bourbon, a European dynasty that produced 17 French kings, 10 Spanish kings, two Kings of Etruria, and one King of Navarre...

Originally a balcony railing, this salvaged antique iron has been repurposed into a magnificent console table with a shellstone top. The railing was salvaged from a French building that was constructed in the late 1800’s. A two-inch-thick cream stone with white inclusions surmounts the painted green ironwork. The stone, which features a stunning display of shell and coral trace fossils, has been carved with a thin beveled edge. Directly beneath the stone is a row of repeating geometric shapes joined by pierced circles. The pattern is a larger open circle followed by a horizontally aligned open rectangle. Small roundels join the rectangles to the horizontal bars above and below. On the other side of the lower bar is a second row of repeating shapes, this time vertical rectangles followed by larger rectangles with incised corners and an inset elongated oval. Once again, the open ironwork is joined by pierced circles and roundels. On each end is a scrolled section that blends subtly into another geometric motif. This recently converted wrought iron railing...

This five light, antique French cast iron torchere has been painted deep green with gold colored bands around the motifs. The motifs are trefoils, ...

Walnut and burled walnut. In 1700s France, the commode was considered the finest piece of furniture in the chateau. It was also placed in the most important areas so it could be seen. This particular commode from Bourgogne or Vallee du Rhone area, is very rare in its shape and storage area. The shaped sides are small cabinets with one shaped shelf each. Each door opens to the back so that the contents are kept private from any guests. The 'galbee' front features three full drawers with brass hardware. The veneered wooden insets on the drawers and sides are all burled walnut wood. All this rests upon four outward shaped feet. There are three keys for opening the side cabinets and front drawers. This rare and large French commode...

Forged in Spain, circa 1900, this iron candelabra torchere has three arms embellished with angular protrusions, in the form of stylized leaves emanating from a plant stem. Each arm i...

Known in France as a “garde-corps” and measuring almost 12 feet long, this impressive wrought iron grill was installed on a Paris balcony during the late 1800’s. The iron has been pa...

Heraldic cast iron fireback’s go back 500 plus years. They would depict a family’s coat of arms at the center, and symbols in the form of animals, birds, plants, and numerous other i...

These important Gothic cast iron fireplace chenets are close to 500 years old. Sometimes called fire dogs or andirons, chenets are fireplace accessories designed to elevate firewood....

This pair of forged iron candleholders was produced in France in the early 1900’s. The two holders have slightly different dimensions, indicating that they were crafted by hand. E...

This lovely French “service fumeur en faïence”, or earthenware smoking service, has five pieces: a tray, and four pots of various sizes. Although every smoking set is unique, we presume theses pots are a tobacco pot to store the dried leaves, an ash receptacle, a pot for holding papers to hand roll cigarettes and/or cigars and a pot for keeping matches. Our set was produced in Nevers, France in the 19th century by Montagnon, the oldest earthenware factory in France. Originally called manufacture du Bout du monde (“End of the World factory”), the factory was founded in 1648. By 1875, the factory had fallen on hard times and was bought by Antoine Montagnon. Within the five years, it was the only faïencerie left in Nevers. Montagnon was successful for over a century but eventually ceased operations in 2015. The production date of our smoking service set is from the late 1800s. Glazed earthenware was introduced from Italy to Nevers in the mid-16th century. The town already had existing porcelain factories and the area was flush with clay deposits that could be used in pottery. This allowed the influx of Italian potters in Nevers to begin producing Faience pieces. For the next 300 years, Nevers was the center for French Faience manufacturing. This smoking set has been decorated with painted birds, rinceaux of flowers and ornamental motifs. The blue background color is called Persian blue, and was extensively used as a ground color on Nevers Faience...

This pair of Paris porcelain neoclassical style vases from the early 1800s have stunning details and rich coloration. Old Paris porcelain, or Vieux Paris, is the term given to the elaborate hard-paste porcelain products created in Paris from the mid-1700s through the late 1800s. Vieux Paris is a generic term, as there were more than 30 factories that produced porcelain during this period. Sometimes these factories would sell “blank”, unpainted pieces to outside artisans, so it is quite possible to see identically shaped pieces with different paint styles. Because of this, a fair majority of Vieux Paris is unattributed – meaning there are typically no production marks. The trumpet necks of these vases are a lustrous gilded porcelain, flanked on two sides by bright white stylized sphinx busts with acanthus leaf headpieces. The slightly obovate bodies are painted in a matte azure color. This color, known as “Bleu de France”, has been a staple of the heraldry of the French monarchy since the 12th century. The body of each vase is where most of the minute details can be found. Situated on either side and slightly below the base of the sphinxes are gilt cherubs. Each vase has its own unique set of cherubs, depicting different activities. One vase has a cherub with butterfly on a string, while the one on the opposite side is holding a pair of trumpets. The other vase has a cherub flying with a wreath, while the one on the opposite side is holding a pair of torches. Even though the figures are very small in stature, you can still see the details of their faces. Beneath the cherubs are large bisque...

These Renaissance style antique French patinated bronze ewers depict very busy and mischievous Bacchanalian putti at play. A cherub sits atop the handle holding an item in his hands....