CIRCA 1775

Details

A PAIR OF LOUIS XVI ORMOLU AND BRONZE CHENETS
Circa 1775
Each with a scantily-draped putto holding his hands to warm himself, seated on a turned socle and fluted columnar plinth swagged with oak garlands and above a ribbon-tied laurel plinth, the return rim cast with panels of Vitruvian-scroll and surmounted by berried finials, on rosette-headed tapering fluted legs with ball feet, the bronze putti repatinated
14in. (35cm.) high; 14¼in. (36cm.) wide (2)

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

In their overall form, these chenets relate to the oeuvre of the bronzier and sculpteur Jean-Louis Prieur (maître in 1769). A related design of circa 1770 from the Odiot album attributed to Prieur, although surmounted by a Bacchic putto resting after harvesting grapes, is illustrated in H. Ottomeyer, P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, Band I, p.3.14.7). Jean-Louis Prieur is first recorded in 1765, when he was appointed as a sculpteur to the Academy de St.-Luc. Received as a maître in 1769, he established his workshop in the Faubourg St-Denis 'à l'enseigne des armes d'Angleterre' and subsequently styled himself as sculpteur, cizeleur et doreur du Roy. Aside from enjoying Royal patronage in Paris from not only Louis XVI, but also the comte d'Artois and the Prince de Condè, Prieur also found favour abroad, particulary with King Stanislas-Auguste Poniatowski, King of Poland for Warsaw between 1766-early 1770's. Prieur published a series of engavings in 1783.

More from Boulle to Jansen: An Important Private European Collection

View All