Lot Essay
This elegant chandelier relates to the oeuvre of Alexandre Guérin, who worked as a bronzier in St. Petersburg from the 1810s until the 1840s, when his workshop was acquired by Julien Chopin. Guérin worked in a sophisticated Empire style, closely relying on French designs, and his price list of 1831 shows various models which were inspired by the work of Pierre-Philippe Thomire (I. Sychev, Russian Bronze, Moscow, 2003, p. 111). Many of his chandeliers feature closely related classical motifs to the ring, such as one illustrated in I. Sychev, The Russian Chandeliers, St. Petersburg, 2003, p. 126, no. 572.