156 - André-Charles Boulle (1642–1732), after

André-Charles Boulle (1642–1732), after Pairs of candelabras, “Girandoles with sphinxes and ram’s heads,” in chiseled and gilded bronze, with four light arms embellished with ram’s heads and acanthus foliage. The shaft is decorated with the profile of an emperor crowned with laurels and rests on a concave triangular base of red marble adorned with sphinxes, garlands, and lambrequins. The ensemble is supported by flared, fluted legs. Circular foundry mark: THIÉBAUT FRÈRES Fondeurs Paris Paris. Late 19th century. Circa 1894. H_72 cm Comparable works *Sotheby’s New York auction. November 18, 2010. Lot 145 *Sotheby’s New York auction. April 13, 2016. Lot 640. The Thiébauts The list of bronze casters and producers from the 19th and 20th centuries is long; among the most important is the Thiébaut family. It was under the leadership of Victor Thiébaut that the foundry business truly took off with the establishment, in 1851, of a foundry specifically dedicated to casting art bronzes. Initially, the foundry produced raw castings, which were then sent to Barbedienne or other foundries for finishing. Subsequently, Victor Thiébaut secured production contracts with various renowned sculptors: David d’Angers (Liberty and 548 medallions, later offered to customers for between 7.50 and 30 francs), Carpeaux (“The Fisherman with the Shell”), Diéboit (“France the Provider”), Falguière (“The Victor in the Cockfight”), Carrier-Belleuse (“A Mother’s Kiss”) Paul Dubois, Moulin, Ottin, Cumberworth, and Pradier. The company also produced vases, bowls, and fireplace accessories. In 1864, Thiébaut acquired the contracts of the Eck and Durand foundry when it ceased operations. The company also produced several monumental castings, such as Duret’s *Saint Michael Slaying the Dragon* for the Saint-Michel Fountain in Paris and Dumont’s *Napoleon I* for the Vendôme Column The candelabra with sphinxes and ram’s heads This model of a four-light candelabra, featuring coiled arms topped with ram’s heads and supported by a tripod base adorned with sphinxes (sphinx and ram-headed candelabra) is traditionally attributed to André-Charles Boulle, cabinetmaker to the court of Louis XIV, based on a design by the architect and ornamental engraver Jean Bérain (see Jean Nérée Ronfort, “André-Charles Boulle: die Bronzearbeiten und seine Werkstatt im Louvre,” H. Ottomeyer and P. Pröschel, *Vergoldete Bronzen*, Munich 1986, Vol. II, pp. 459–520, and Vol. I, p. 57, fig. 1.7.3). The model was highly successful and appears in the inventories of several important 18th-century collectors, including the wife of the haberdasher Hébert, the Duke of Antin, and Blondel de Gagny. One pair is housed at Warwick Castle, another at Waddesdon Manor (ill. G. de Bellaigue, *The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor*, Fribourg 1974, Vol. II, pp. 684–685), and yet another pair is now at the Getty Museum. This model has also appeared regularly at auction, notably in the collection of Baroness Cassel van Doorn, Paris, March 9, 1954, lot 58, and in the Greenberg Collection, Sotheby’s New York, May 21, 2004, lot 14. Like most of Boulle’s finest works, this model was also reproduced in the 19th century, often to an extremely high standard, as is the case with the present pair. Comparative bibliography: Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, *Vergoldete Bronzen. Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus, Klinkhardt and Biermann, Munich, 1986, p. 57, ref. 1.7.3. Expert: Stephane Pepe Expert: Stephane PEPE