Each with later circular faux-porphyry tops on a gadrooned dish supported by a Corinthian capital, the cylindrical fluted stem cast with anthemion and foliate motifs, on four paw feet
54 in. (137 cm.) high; 12. 1/2 in. (32 cm.) diameter

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
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Lot Essay

These torchères are inspired by the designs of C. Percier and P.F.L. Fontaine from the Recueil de Décorations Intérieures, Paris, 1801, which popularized Napoleon’s grand Empire style. A massive pair of candelabra-torchères closely following Percier and Fontaine's design and with many similar leaf motifs to the current lot was supplied to Napoleon by Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) in 1811 for the cabinet intérieur of the Tuileries, now at the Grand Trianon, Versailles (illustrated and discussed in D. Cohen, Pierre-Philippe Thomire - Unternehmer und Künstler, H. Ottomeyer, P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol.II, pp.662-663, fig.5).
A pair of candelabra even closer in design to the current lot with the same anthemion and foliate decoration and tripartite feet were delivered by Thomire to Louis-Philippe in 1837 (illustrated H. Ottomeyer, P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol.I, p.393, fig. 5.17.12).
Comparable torchères attributed to Thomire were sold Christie's, London, 18 March 2003, lots 329-330.