AFTER A MODEL BY PIERRE GOUTHIERE, LAST QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

These wall lights are based on a model made by Pierre Gouthière after wax models by François-Joseph Bélanger for the duchesse de Mazarin in 1781. The sale of her collection on 10-15 December 1781 included one such pair described as being 'par Goutthier.' A wall-light of this model but lacking the ribbon-tied upper section, which is in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, is illustrated in H. Ottmeyer, P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, p.243, fig. 4.5.12. A pair of Louis XVI wall-lights of the same design were sold anonymously, Christie's London; 12 April 1984, lot 83. 19th century copies of this design were made by both Alfred-Emmanuel-Louis Beurdeley and Henry Dasson. A pair executed by the latter is illustrated C. Mestagh L'Ameublement d'art français: 1850-1900, Paris, 2010, p. 254. The superior quality of the casting and chasing on the present pair would suggest production by either maker or a reputable contemporary.