Gilt Bronze Guéridon, Attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, circa 1790

Guéridon, circa 1790 Attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire (Paris 1751-1843) Gilt and patinated bronze, with a marble top H 90.25 cm x Ø 62.50 cm

This pedestal table, attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire is related to a small group of similar guéridons in gilt and patinated bronze on griffin tripod bases. One is in the Musée Nissim de Camondo in Paris, acquired from the dealer Seligmann as by Thomire, and another was formerly in the collection of Boniface de Castellane and Anna Gould in the Palais Rose, Paris, sold Christie’s Paris, March 7th, 2017, lot 116. A further example from the Helena Rubinstein and John Dorrance collections is now with Dalva Brothers, New York. A related but more elaborate model with the legs adorned with winged female caryatids as on the present lot formed part of the celebrated interior of Pierre Delbée of Maison Jansen in Paris, sold at Christie’s New York, April 28th, 2017, lot 21.

Literature: Guillaume Janneau, Le Meuble Léger en France, Ed. Hartmann, Paris 1952, p. 242

Born in Paris in 1751, son of a carver, Pierre-Philippe Thomire began studying sculpture at the Academy of St-Luc under the direction of Augustin Pajou and Jean-Antoine Houdon. He then joined the workshop of the bronzier Pierre Gouthière, who offered him a perfect knowledge of the trade, before opening his own factory in 1776. His know-how and his talent were quickly recognized at court and won over the royal couple. He will assist Jean-Louis Prieur in particular in making the bronze ornaments for the coach dedicated to the coronation of Louis XVI. Succeeding Thomas Duplessis as bronzier at the Sèvres manufactory in 1783, he became the King's official chaser and gilder. The delivery of the bronzes of a monumental vase from Sèvres now in the Louvre (inv. OA 9590) further increased his fame, which was great on the eve of the Revolution. Associated with the Dutermes, in 1804 he acquired the important collection of the merchant-haberdasher and bronzer Martin-Eloy Lignereux. In 1806 in recognition of his merit he won a gold medal at the Industrial Products Exhibition. Its notoriety allows it to deliver to a prestigious clientele the most beautiful objects of the turn of the century and to receive orders for the redevelopment of imperial residences, such as Fontainebleau and the Grand Trianon. The City of Paris also uses its skills for gifts that it intends for sovereigns, such as a clock offered to Marie-Louise in 1810 on the occasion of her marriage to Napoleon I, today kept at the Louvre, (inv . OA 9511) or the birthplace of the King of Rome; works for which he collaborated with the greatest painters, cabinetmakers and goldsmiths such as Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot or Pierre-Paul Prud’hon.