P.P.Thomire, large pair of Empire period candelabra.

Rare pair of large candelabras attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, in chased gilt bronze and brown patina bronze, representing winged Victories dressed in diaphanous robes, assuming the posture of canéphores to support a bouquet of five arms of light, the central one simulating a cloud of smoke.
The scrolled arms of light end in griffin heads, on which each of the binnacles rests.
The Victories stand with one foot on a sphere decorated with an appliqué griffin.
This sphere rests on a large octagonal base, each faceted with a vestal, an eagle lozenge and torches.

An identical pair of candelabras is listed in the 1807 inventory of the Palais des Tuileries and referenced in the grand salon of the main apartment in the Pavillon de Flore.
This pair of candelabras can still be found in the former bedroom of the Countess de Montjoie at the Palais des Tuileries.

The mobilier national still holds three examples in its collections, ref: (GML 134/1 to 3).

Empire period circa 1810

Height: 75 cm

Condition report:
Very fine mercury gilding with matte and gloss.
Old restorations on one arm and hands. One finger missing.
Current estimate between €20,000 and €30,000.

Bibliography :
-Marie-France Dupuy-Baylet: L'Heure, Le Feu, La Lumière, les bronzes du Mobilier National 1800-1870, 2010, pp. 166-167.
-Dumonthier: "Bronzes d'Eclairage et de chauffage du Mobilier National". Pl. 25.

Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1757-1843):
Received as a master founder on May 18, 1772, he was the most important Parisian bronzemaker of the last quarter of the 18th century and the first decades of the following century. In his early years, he worked for Pierre Gouthière, the king's chaser-founder, before collaborating with Louis Prieur from the mid-1770s. He went on to become one of the official bronzemakers at the Manufacture Royale de Sèvres, succeeding Jean-Claude Thomas Duplessis and working on the bronze decoration of most of the great creations of the time. After the Revolution, he bought out Martin-Eloi Lignereux's business and became the leading supplier of bronze furnishings for imperial castles and palaces. In 1785, Thomire was commissioned to create a candelabrum commemorating France's involvement in the American War of Independence. Presented to the king, it was placed in his inner cabinet at Versailles, where it remains to this day. He created the gilded bronze caryatids and ornaments for Schwerdfeger's jewel-stand, presented by the city of Paris to Queen Marie-Antoinette in 1787. He also designed the bronzes for the Countess of Provence's jewel-band, now at Windsor Castle. At the same time, he worked for a wealthy French and foreign private clientele, including some of Napoleon's marshals. Finally, he retired from business in the mid-1820s and died in 1843.

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