CIRCA 1810

Wall-lights modelled as lion masks were particularly fashionable under the Empire. Foremost bronziers such as André-Antoine Ravrio (maître in 1777) and Claude Galle (maître in 1786) or the celebrated fondeur-ciseleur Pierre Philippe Thomire (maître-fondeur in 1772 and 'ciseleur de l'Empereur' in 1809) created models with lions either issuing arrow-shaped candle-branches or clasping a corona issuing nozzles. Such models include a pair of wall lights 'à tête de lion' supplied by Galle in 1810 for the Cabinet of the Pavillion Français at the Petit Trianon, Versailles (ill. D.Ledoux-Lebard, Versailles, Le Petit Trianon, Paris, 1989, p.122, fig.1301) and three pairs of 'appliques au lion' delivered by Ravrio in 1810 for Fontainebleau (illustrated in J.P. Samoyault, Pendules et bronzes d'ameublement entrés sous le Premier Empire, Paris, 1989, p.138, fig.108).
Amongst the related examples sold at auction, a pair was sold from the 'Collection Akram Ojjeh', Christie's, Monaco, 11 December 1999, lot 152 and another sold Christie's, Paris, 24 June 2003, lot 335.