Lot Essay
The firm of Thomire et Cie was established by Pierre-Philippe Thomire (d. 1843), certainly one of the most well-known and important bronziers. He trained under Pajou and Houdon at the Academie de Saint-Luc and later under the master bronzier Gouthière.
A similar but less elaborate clock, made for the 1842 Paris Exhibition, is illustrated in Tardy, La Pendule Franaise, des origines à nos jours, pt. II. It is now in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
Louis Moinet (d. 1853), who had worked for the most celebrated watchmaker, Abraham Louis Breguet, collaborated with Thomire on a number of commissions. Another example of their combined work is in the Britsh Embassy in Paris.
Known as Thomire et Cie from 1819, the company ceased in the early 1850's, unable to adapt to the changing styles of the second half of the century and anchored by the high standards of its deep-rooted manufacturing techniques, which made its own production costs vastly greater than others.
A similar but less elaborate clock, made for the 1842 Paris Exhibition, is illustrated in Tardy, La Pendule Franaise, des origines à nos jours, pt. II. It is now in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
Louis Moinet (d. 1853), who had worked for the most celebrated watchmaker, Abraham Louis Breguet, collaborated with Thomire on a number of commissions. Another example of their combined work is in the Britsh Embassy in Paris.
Known as Thomire et Cie from 1819, the company ceased in the early 1850's, unable to adapt to the changing styles of the second half of the century and anchored by the high standards of its deep-rooted manufacturing techniques, which made its own production costs vastly greater than others.