18th Century, Pair Of French Gilt Bronze Fireplace Chenets

This valuable pair of Fireplace Chenets was made around the end of the 18th century in France. The Fireplace Chenets are in finely chiselled and gilded bronze and have ornaments and decorations characteristic of the Louis XVI era.
They are composed of a semicircle balustrade element, culminating with a large circular base with leonine heads and refined draperies on which there is an imposing pot with a pine-shaped lid and sockets decorated with rams' heads. Large garlands of flowers and ribbons adorn the composition. On the opposite side, to a smaller extent there are two pot elements with a flame that clearly refers to the fire of the fireplace.
The Fireplace Chenets were used to help burn the fire better by raising it. The primary purpose of the Fireplace Chenets is therefore to raise the fire, so that the air can reach it from all sides to make it burn better. While up to the 17th century they were mostly made of iron, from this period they were made of bronze and brass, materials that at the time were expensive and difficult to find.
They can still be used to improve the ventilation of wood, to prevent the slipping of wood out of the fire and to decorate the fireplace. This beautiful pair of Fireplace Chenets, characterized by a very refined and elegant chisel, can also be exposed as a decorative object even above a modern fireplace or as an overcoat.