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Pr. French Empire Dore Bronze 6-Light Candelabra w Swans, signed Thomire a Paris

About the Item

An Exceptional and Quite Rare Pair of French Empire Period Dore Bronze Six-Light Candelabra with Swans, Signed Thomire a Paris. The candelabra are cast in dore bronze and formed with tall fluted shafts rising from cylindrical bases to support six radiating candle arms surrounding a central finial. Each shaft is decorated with vertical fluting and bordered by lotus leaf collars and palmette ornament above and below. The central nozzle is surmounted by a spiral gadrooned flame form emerging from a lotus calyx. Six scrolling arms project from the upper section, each cast as a swan with elongated neck and lowered head supporting a candle nozzle. The nozzles are formed with flared collars decorated in relief with acanthus and anthemion ornament. Between the swan arms are scrolling foliate supports and circular rosettes. The cylindrical bases are bordered with elongated leaf tips in relief and retain a rich gilt surface with matte and burnished passages that accentuate the modeled ornament and chased details. The candelabra are signed THOMIRE A PARIS, engraved along the lower edge of the base. Pierre Philippe Thomire (French, 1751 to 1843) was among the leading bronze founders and ciseleurs working in Paris during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, known for gilt bronze furnishings and lighting produced for imperial and aristocratic interiors. The present pair bears his Paris signature and follows the neoclassical vocabulary associated with French Empire bronze work. The cylindrical bases are applied with relief figures shown in flowing drapery and dynamic movement, some partially nude and holding or encircled by billowing cloth or ribbon forms. These figures appear to represent dancing classical maidens or allegorical female figures rendered in low relief against smooth ground surfaces. Thomire trained within the Paris bronze trade and later established one of the most recognized ateliers devoted to gilt bronze production. His workshop supplied mounts, lighting, and decorative furnishings employing mercury gilding, refined chasing, and classical ornament derived from antiquity. The present candelabra combine fluted architectural structure, swan form candle arms, lotus ornament, and allegorical relief decoration characteristic of French Empire decorative bronze. The scale, crisp casting, and preserved dore surface reflect bronze work of substantial quality and place this signed pair among highly desirable examples of Thomire atelier production. France, Circa: 1810
  • Creator:
    Pierre-Philippe Thomire (Maker)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 29.25 in (74.3 cm)Diameter: 12 in (30.48 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 2
  • Style:
    Empire (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Ormolu,Gilt,Hand-Crafted
  • Place of Origin:
    France
  • Period:
    1810-1819
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1810
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU919550112822