Important Empire gilt-bronze mounted cristal chandelier with 26 lights

Chandelier in gilded bronze and cut crystal, Empire period
basket-shaped with twenty-six lights in two rows; adorned with swans with outstretched wings, garlands of flowers; the upper part with a wreath of palms

the crystals probably partly from the Montcenis factory (Le Creusot)
By the quality of its execution and the choice of its ornaments, this chandelier is a perfect example of the production of the house "Chaumont, manufacturer of chandeliers and girandoles, gilded gold and matte gold; half-chandeliers to put on mirrors, garnished with rock crystals, Mont-Cenis and others [...]" (in M.F. Dupuy-Baylet, op. cit., n° 59, p. 118). Son of a master foundryman, Jean-François Chaumont became under the Empire a famous chandelier, regular supplier of the Imperial Furniture Storage, whose workshop was located in the Marais, 23 rue Chapon. Its activity continued under the Restoration and his son Gilbert-Honoré (1790-1868) probably took over around 1820, before joining forces in 1838 with Louis-Auguste Marquis to continue to supply bronzes to the Garde-Meuble Royal during the Monarchy. of July (in M.F. Dupuy-Baylet, op. cit., p. 254 and 277). Jean-François Chaumont died in September 1843 at 270 rue Saint-Honoré (IAD MC/RE/IV/16).
Several models of chandeliers delivered by Chaumont for the imperial residences are described as comprising crystals from the Montcenis factory (in J.P. Samoyault, op. cit., n°70 to 74, pp. 105-108). It seems that under the aegis of the Imperial Furniture Store, Chaumont was led to work in concert with Benjamin Ladouèpe-Dufougerais (1766-1821), the administrator of the famous crystal works. This was also titled in July 1806 "Imperial and Royal Manufacture". The chandeliers resulting from their collaboration are characterized by their imposing dimensions, their basket shape punctuated with circles and their large number of lights (from 24 to 50). Some, very close to our model, now belong to the Mobilier National and notably decorate four of the salons of the Elysée Palace. One of them, originally commissioned in 1813 for the great cabinet of the Emperor at the Palace of Monte-Cavallo, was installed at the Elysée Palace in 1820 when the palace was the residence of the Duke of Berry (in M.F. Dupuy-Baylet, op. cit., n° 59, p. 118).