A set of five bronze bowls of a centerpiece by Thomire in Paris, circa 1820

Rare series of four bowls and a candelabra that are part of a centerpiece with four removable lights made of finely engraved and gilded bronze. Model with tripod base finished by lion claws. Above, the baluster shafts are decorated with a frieze of palmettes and flutes and support basins with gadroons.  
On the candelabra model, a bouquet with four lights in the form of horns of plenty is removable.
Exceptional quality of gilding with mercury with double patina, both shiny and matt.
Very good condition, original gilding.
Two cups signed (Thomire in Paris)*.
Work of Pierre Philippe Thomire in Paris in 1820, after a design by Charles Percier and Pierre Léonard Fontaine.

Dimensions :
Cup : height 40 cm ; diameter 25 cm.
Candelabra : height 51 cm ; diameter 42 cm.

Similar models :
A pair stamped Thomire in Paris, Sotheby's sale March 30, 2011, lot 348, 34,375 dollars.
A very close model with six lights is in the collections of the Château de la Malmaison.
Very close drawing for the base and shaft in the miscellany of interior decoration by Percier and Fontaine.

*Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) was the most important Parisian bronzemaker of the last quarter of the 18th century and the first decades of the following century. At the beginning, he worked for Pierre Gouthière, the king's engraver and founder, then collaborated with Louis Prieur from the mid 1770s. He then became one of the official bronze workers of the royal factory of Sèvres, working on the bronze decoration of most of the great creations of the time. After the Revolution, he bought the business of Martin-Eloi Lignereux and became the largest supplier of furniture bronzes for the imperial castles and palaces. At the same time, he worked for a rich French and foreign private clientele, including some of Napoleon's marshals. He retired in 1823 but continued to supervise the company left to his sons-in-law, a company that delivered royal palaces for the different regimes until his death in 1843 (Louis XVIII, Charles X, Louis Philippe), as well as many European courts.

Our opinion :

The rare set that we present is from a tableware such as the one in the museum of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Designed for princely tables and embassies, this type of tableware was intended to impress the guests by showing them the financial power of their hosts. If some private individuals will be able to order these large sets to the Thomire factory, the great majority will be ordered by the elite of the empire and by various European princely courts. A few rare sets have been preserved in their entirety, often within national public collections, the others were sold and often shared during the various successions.
It is extremely rare nowadays to present a homogeneous ensemble like the one we are presenting.
A masterpiece of sculpture and chiseling, it will sublimate a prestigious table.