A magnificient twelve-light gilt bronze chandelier with a central shaft chased with festoons, flowers and foliate set off against a patinated black background. Each branch is supported by a plinth decorated with a cherub mask supporting circular drip pans and nozzles. The arms of ‘S’ form are chased with twisted roping, acanthus leaves and volutes that enclose clusters of grapes. The chandelier terminates in a leave shaped finial. The central stem is surmounted by a gilt bronze cast drapery, extending up to the foliate cast ceiling rose, providing the lively and vigorous details of the chandelier with an essential elegance.
This extraordinary chandelier was made after a model by Pierre Phillippe Thomire for the Château de Saint-Cloud in 1787. The original wall mounts are currently exhibited at the collections of the Louvre (OA 5250), and the Petit Trianon. A further pair of identical appliqués attributed to Thomire are in the collection of the J.Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles (83.DF.23) and a related pair in the Wallace Collection, London (F378-9).
Peter Hughes in his catalogue entry for the appliqués at the Wallace collection notes that this model was reproduced by the firm of Beurdeley in the late nineteenth century. Given the superb quality of the bronze casting and chiselling, apparent in the present examples, they almost certainly can be attributed to Beurdeley. he Beurdeley family were a flourishing dynasty of three generations of fine quality cabinetmakers working from 1818 to 1895. The firm was particularly well known for its exceptional metalwork, most commonly basing their designs on important eighteenth century examples. Their mercurial gilding and hand chasing are often of such a high standard that it is difficult to distinguish them from late eighteenth century work.
Literature: Hughes, Peter (1996), ‘The Wallace Collection Catalogue of Furniture’, London; Vol III; p. 1430-1432, ill. 301. Ottomeyer, Hans & Pröschel, Peter, (1986), ‘Vergoldete Bronzen’, Munich; Vol. I, p. 290, f. 4.16.15. Mestdagh, Camille & Lécoules, Peter (2010), ‘L’Ameublement d’Art Français, 1850-1900′, Editions de l’Amateur, Paris; p.262-276. Meyer, Jonathan, Great Exhibitions – London, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, 1851-1900, Antique Collectors’ Club, (Woodbridge, UK) 1984 ; pps. 175, 247, 269, 270, 290, 298.
Condition: very good, fitted for electricity, min. wear consistent with age and use, min. fading – detailed condition report on request
