Rare paire de consoles d’applique en bois doré

Rare pair of gilt oak wall brackets, resting on two curved legs carved with acanthus leaves intertwining in an "S" shape. The two legs are joined by carvings representing scrolls and shells. These form a strut, topped in the centre by a wicker basket made of various flowers. The complex belt is openwork and decorated with a stylized shell in its centre, framed by leafy stems. 
The console is surmounted by a top of Brocatelle violet marble from the Jura region, moulded around the edge.
Attributed to Pierre Contant d'Ivry 
Louis XV period
Restorations of use
H. 84,5 x W. 83 x D. 36,5 cm


Pierre Contant d'Ivry (1698-1777) was a famous French architect and decorator. In 1728 he was admitted as a "second class architect" to the Royal Academy of Architecture and thus became "architect to the king". In 1751, he was finally admitted to the Academy as a "first class" architect. In 1769, he published his "Works of Architecture", which he created between 1740 and 1750. 
"The art of Pierre Contant d'Ivry is a mixture between the classical style and the frivolous Rococo style", as Jacques François Blondel (1705-1774), a great architect and respected theoretician of the 18th century, testifies. Our pair of consoles is a perfect example of a mature Rocaille style in its bold forms, balanced and elegant lines, and artistic innovation. Although few of the works of this "ornemanist" are formally known to us, we can relate our rare pair of consoles (never separated) to his work, which influenced a great number of artists.