Pair of lamps; following PIERRE-PHILIPPE THOMIRE (1751-1843) models, late 19th century.

Pair of lamps; after PIERRE-PHILIPPE THOMIRE (1751-1843), late 19th century. Gilt and blued bronze. Height adjustable lamps. Dimensions: 42 x 11 x 11 cm (sculpture, x2); 62 x 25 x 17 x 17 cm (total, x2). Pair of Thomire style lamps, made in gilded and blued bronze. Both have the same structure, which consists of a square base on which rests a cylindrical body that gives way to a round sculpture. This sculpture represents a winged victory, dressed in a tunic in the style of wet cloths. At the back, a mechanism can be seen that allows the height of the shaft of each of the lamps to be adjusted. At the top, the fabric lampshade has a pleated design. Philippe Thomire was a French sculptor best known for his work in gilded bronze, which made him the leading caster in France in the late 18th century, with an important workshop established in 1775. His career saw a striking improvement when he began to assist Jean-Claude-Thomas Duplessis, the artistic director of the Manufacture de Porcelaine de Sèvres, and when the latter died in 1783, Thomire continued his work, creating the bronze mounts for works that combined it with porcelain. Such was his success that he continued to work during the French Revolution. In 1804 he expanded the business by buying the workshop of a cabinetmaker, which enabled him to work with furniture. He worked for Napoleon and also did so after his fall, retiring at the age of 72 and even then continuing to create sculpture (he exhibited at the Paris Salon). Claude Michallon was a French sculptor trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, a pupil of Charles-Antoine Bridan (1730-1805) and Guillaume Coustou. In 1785 he won the grand prize for sculpture with a bas-relief depicting Brutus. He studied at the Académie de France in Rome for six years until 1791. When he returned to Paris, he received commissions for colossal statues and won several prizes awarded by the Committee of Public Information. He competed for several projects in Paris. Claude Michallon presented his marble group d'Aconce et Cydippe at the Paris Salon in 1793, and created several models for watch cases, such as Cupid and Psychée. Among others, Pierre-Philippe Thomire cast bronzes in the following manner