Lot Essay
One of the best known bronziers of the Napoleon III period, Victor Paillard (d. 1886) also created and produced his own sculptures and groups, designed and made chenets, candelabra, other decorative objects and clocks. In the 1830s he opened his own business of 'bronze d'art et d'ameublement' at 105 boulevard Beaumarchais and 6 rue Saint-Claude, first showing his own work at the Exposition des produits de l'industrie in 1839. By 1855 he was employing about a hundred workmen and was able to offer his clients hundreds of models in bronze and zinc imitations. As a founder he also worked for numerous well-known sculptors such as Pradier, Barye and Carrier-Belleuse.