"Rocaille" Chandelier by E. Colin & Cie, France Circa 1890

Beautiful “Rocaille” chandelier in chiseled and gilded bronze with nine sconces. It consists of a baluster shaft decorated with a patinated bronze sphere with twisted fluting, surrounded by three uprights richly embellished with scrolls of acanthus leaves.

This chandelier is very probably a creation of the sculptor and ornamentalist Léon Messagé (1842-1901), who integrated in his ornaments related to the Rocaille asymmetry, new lines and shapes announcing the “Art Nouveau” style. But even though, Messagé found inspiration with these 18th century artists, such as Nicolas Pineau or J. A. Meissonier, he didn’t simply copy their work and showed great originality, even extravagance, with some designs contained in “Cahier des dessins et croquis style Louis XV”. He realized numerous sketches on grey paper before the execution of a reduced or life sized model of his ornaments, made of wax or terra-cotta. From 1885, Léon Messagé started working with important Parisian cabinet-makers such Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener (1849-1895) and François Linke (1855-1946), ass well as with the bronze-caster Emile Colin ( active 1882-1898).


This chandelier is inspired by a model made by Léon Messagé, taken from his book “Cahier des Dessins et Croquis style Louis XV”

Biography :
Emile Colin, a renowned founder installed since 1843, No. 29 Sévigné Street in Paris, cast as soon as 1855 for the most wellknow masters of France sculpture, such A.E. Carrier-Belleuse (Le Zouave), J. Pradier (Les Trois Grâces, Vénus consolant l’Amour) or J.B. Carpeaux since 1875 (L’Enfant au cor), as well as the famous Parisian silversmith Christofle. Colin used to stamp his bronzes of the mention « Emile Colin & Cie » from 1882 until 1898. That mark became later « M. Colin & Cie » from 1898 until 1906, then « Ancienne Maison Colin, Jollet & Cie » from 1906 until 1923. Worldwide renowned, Emile Colin sent to the Chicago Universal Exhibition of 1893 bronze works of art, with among them, ormolu mounted marble urns and a large bronze clock. The Colin Company counted then at the turn of the century among the greatest bronze-casters at the sides of Barbedienne, Susse and Siot-Decauville. With the death of Emile Colin in 1900, his own models were sold to the Company Doistal, set up in Paris, Avenue Daumesnil. This firm doesn’t exist anymore. The Colin Company was once again honoured at the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition with lights of various styles designed and modelled by Léon Messagé.