Lot Essay
The model of this chenet probably derives from a design executed for the Chateau de Bagatellé, with an Anthenienne-tripod supported by arabesque cupids that is attributed to the professional designer Jean François Forty, author of Oeuvres de Sculpture en Bronze, circa 1780. Related Grecian chenet known as the Bagatelle boudoir model, were supplied by Gouthière's collaborator Joseph-Noel Turpin and these depict bronze cherubs supporting Hymen's torch.
A very similar pair of chenets is in the Salon des Nobles de la Reine, Versailles, illustrated in ed. Antiquaires à Paris, La Folie d'Artois, 1988, p.155, fig. 10. That pair is raised on pedestals cast with paterae and guilloches, as is a pair sold, Sotheby's New York, 3 November 1989, lot 45.
A very similar pair of chenets is in the Salon des Nobles de la Reine, Versailles, illustrated in ed. Antiquaires à Paris, La Folie d'Artois, 1988, p.155, fig. 10. That pair is raised on pedestals cast with paterae and guilloches, as is a pair sold, Sotheby's New York, 3 November 1989, lot 45.