A Pair Of French Late Nineteenth Century Gilt Bronze Five-Light Wall-Lights

A large and magnificent pair of French late nineteenth century Louis XVI style gilt bronze five-light wall-lights by Henry Dasson, each signed and dated Henry Dasson 1885, both surmounted by a ribbon-tied rosette and trailing ribbon banner above a vase abundantly filled with flowers and fruits, above five acanthus-wrapped scrolled and fluted branches, each terminated by a vase-shaped candle nozzle with fluted drip-pans, the central tapering shaft below the candle branches mounted by three beautiful female masks crowned with ostrich feathers and shown with their eyes half-closed and with their hair dressed partly in ringlets at either side and then lower down arranged in plaits knotted beneath their chins, the masks above flowering and fruiting swags and a ring of feathered quills, above a tassel-hung boss headed by acanthus leaves and two groups of oak-leaf sprays with accompanying acorns
Paris, dated 1885
Height 100 cm. each.
Of the finest quality and with superb mercury gilding, this beautiful pair of wall-lights, made by the eminent nineteenth century bronzier, Hanry Dasson (1825-96) epitomise the fascination at that period for past historical styles. In some instances, Dasson and his contemporaries, notably Alfred Beurdeley (1847-1919), would borrow elements and motifs from seventeenth and eighteenth century works of art, while at other times he would base his bronzes on a known and celebrated model. The latter is the case here, since these wall-lights are modelled on a set of three pairs of gilt bronze five-light wall-lights that were supplied by the pre-eminent bronzier Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) for Saint-Cloud in 1787. The three original pairs have been identified by D. Meyer as those ordered by the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne on 29th September 1787 for the salon des jeux du Roi at Saint-Cloud and delivered by Thomire the same year, through the marchand-mercier Jean Hauré at a cost of 5,388 livres for the three pairs. (D. Meyer, “Les Bras de Lumière du Salon des Jeux de Louis XVI à Saint-Cloud” in “Gazette des Beaux-Arts”, vol. 79, 1972, pp. 55-8). They were subsequently divided, with two of the pairs relocated to the Louvre and one pair to the Petit Trianon. Another identical pair attributed to Thomire, which was once at Château de Saint-Vrain and owned by Victurnien Jean-Baptiste de Rochechouart, IX. duc de Mortemart, was later sold in 1983 to the J. Paul Getty Museum (83.DF.23).
Thomire’s wall-lights proved so popular that they were reproduced later, both by him and others. Among one of the slightly later versions is a pair dating from circa 1805, which are now in the Wallace Collection, London (illustrated and described in Peter Hughes, “The Wallace Collection Catalogue of Furniture”, 1996, pp. 1430-32, F378-9). Interestingly, while Hughes notes that the three original pairs were by Thomire, the Louvre website ascribe its pair to Pierre Gouthière (1732- c.1812), whom Thomire studied under. As here, the original model for the three pairs at Saint-Cloud wall-lights are surmounted by a ribbon-tied garland above a central shaft with a basket of fruit and flowers, above five conformingly shaped candle branches and three similar female masks, in addition to a very similarly shaped tassel-hung boss. While our pair are about the same size as those originally at Saint-Cloud, there are however a number of slight variations in the individual details and positioning of the various elements that make up the wall-lights, but despite this, the overall design is extremely close. In addition to Dasson, the latter’s contemporary and rival, Alfred Beurdeley copied Thomire’s original model, of which Peter Hughes notes one pair was sold in Paris at the Palais d’Orsay, 16th May 1979 and another pair at Christie’s New York on 20th November 1982.
Among a number of other fine Louis XVI style wall-lights made by Henry Dasson is a pair that was purchased by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, now in the Waddesdon Collection, Buckinghamshire (illustrated in Geoffrey de Ballaigue, “The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor”, 1974, p. 805, no. 222). In the latter examples, the shaft is in the form of a thyrsus which is entwined by berried laurel leaves and below the two candle branches, by tasselled drapery. A further pair of wall-lights with four candle branches by Dasson, featuring ribbon-tied garlands above mask heads, a lyre-shaped shaft and tassel-hung boss is illustrated in Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen”, 1986, p. 425, pl. 6.3.13.
Henry Dasson, who was one of the most celebrated Parisian bronziers of his day, was also renowned for the exceptionally fine quality of his furniture. His repute was largely due to the technical excellence of his work and the exceptional quality of his luxury products, which included clocks, gilt bronze mounted furniture and all manner of bronzes from light fittings, perfume burners to free-standing sculptures and large-scale fountains. Regardless of their type, nearly all Dasson’s work followed the lines and style of works from the Ancien Régime made during the reigns of Louis XIV, XV and Louis XVI.
The son of Jean-Baptiste Dasson, a cobbler and his wife Rose Stanislas née Beaurain, Henry Dasson was born in Paris on 10th May 1825 and was baptised two days later at Notre-Dame de Paris. Dasson, who appears to have spent his entire working life in Paris, began his career as a clockmaker at rue Nonnains-d’Hyères and was subsequently established at rue Saint-Louis in the Marais district at the time of his marriage in 1854 to Pauline Dusson (or Dussol), who worked as a colourist. About a decade after their marriage Dasson formed a partnership with Godot as manufactures of clocks and bronzes. The association continued until Dasson established an independent business when, in 1871, he purchased Charles Winckelsen’s (1812-71) renowned furniture making business from the latter’s widow for the sum of 14,000 francs. On the back of this Dasson was then able to add the art of ébénisterie to his repertoire of bronze and clock productions. By then his firm of Dasson et Cie was based at rue Vieille-du-Temple, where it continued up until its closure in 1894.
As here, much of Dasson’s bronzes, as well as furniture was inspired by the Louis XVI style. Among his most celebrated items of furniture was a replica of the bureau du Roi made for Louis XV by Jean-François Oeben (1721-63) and completed by Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806), which in the 1870s stood in the Louvre, where Dasson was allowed to make drawings. Dasson’s copy of 1875 was made in collaboration with the sculptors Pierre Aubert and Jules Dallier; it was purchased by Lady Ashburton for 90,000 francs and shown by him at the Exposition Universelle of 1878. Dasson is also believed to have made another copy of the bureau du Roi for the King of the Belgians. At the same exhibition he showed a copy of a Louis XVI table made in bronze, which was purchased by Lord Dudley. His exhibition stand boasted a number of clocks and bronzes including a copy of a famous perfume burner on a tripod stand by Pierre Gouthière originally owned by the Duc d’Aumont, then Marie-Antoinette and later purchased in Paris 1865 for the 4th Marquess of Hertford (Wallace Collection, London). At the Exposition Universelle of 1889 Dasson’s stand once again included works in the Louis XIV, XV and XVI styles and so impressed the jury that he was awarded a grand prix artistique.
Dasson was not alone in recreating past historical works as testified by large sections at the Expositions Universelles devoted entirely to copies of works of art from the Ancien Régime. Like the equally renowned bronzier and ébéniste Alfred Beurdeley, Dasson catered for an increasing population of wealthy clientele, such as Baron Ferdinand Rothschild and Lady Ashburton whose tastes were rooted in the eighteenth century. Due to the inevitable scarcity of original pieces such collectors often acquired contemporary reproductions or similarly styled renditions. This they were happy to do since far from regarding such reproductions as inferior, the public and critics alike greatly admired Dasson’s ability to combine the old style with modern manufacturing techniques. As a result of his contribution to the arts Dasson was nominated a Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur in 1883 and six years later was made a Grande Officier. Following the firm’s closure, Dasson’s remaining stock was sold by auction at Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 9th–12th October 1894. He died in 1896 and was buried at the cemetery of Père-Lachaise, Paris where his tomb was surmounted by a portrait bust by Jules Dallier.