Pair of Porte-Torchères in the Manner of Barbedienne

A fine pair of neoclassical style gilt and patinated bronze nine-light candelabra by Ferdinand Barbedienne, French, Circa 1870.

A fine pair of Regence style gilt-bronze figural four-light candelabra. Stamped to the underside 'JB'. Each candelabra has a tripartite base with putti figures supporting a cen...

Émile Coriolan Hippolyte Guillemin, the famous French sculptor, designed these exquisite bronze figural torchères in circa 1880. Guillemin was an accomplished artist, who regularly exhibited at the Salon in Paris from the 1870s-1890s. Indeed, Guillemin showcased the original models for these candelabra at the Salon of 1872 to great acclaim. Guillemin’s designs were realised in bronze by the famous metalworker and foundry owner, Ferdinand Barbedienne. The Barbedienne factory was of the leading producers of artistic bronzes in the 19th century. The firm enjoyed great success, winning multiple awards at the major International Exhibitions of the period. The torchères are signed, ‘Ele Guillemin’ and stamped, ‘F. Barbedienne. Fondeur’, with an ‘A. Collas’ reduction stamp. Described in Barbedienne’s catalogue of 1886 as ‘Deux Femmes, Indienne et Persane’, these torchères take the form of an Indian and Persian woman. Each figure holds a five-light candelabrum above her head, composed of scrolled branches, wide gadrooned drip-pans, and foliate urn-shaped capitals. The Persian woman wears loose trousers, with a small top and short jacket. The Indian woman is dressed in a knotted skirt...

An unusual pair of mid-19th century French bronze and ormolu candlesticks, having grape and vine nozzles raised on swaged, fluted tapering stems surmounted by classical busts of man ...