Pair Of Louis XVI Ormolu Andirons

Large pair of ormolu hearth andirons of very highParis, dating from the 19th century.Each andirons is designed around an antique-style basinwith a slightly bulging body, dark green in color, adorned with side masksand underlined by a rich décor of hanging flower garlands,held in place by finely chased rings. The vase stands on a tripodwith fluted tapered legs, linked by decorative acanthus leafwith acanthus leaves.The upper part is crowned with a bouquet of stylized flamesemblematic of Neoclassical vocabulary, accentuating the verticalthe vertical momentum of the composition. The garlands fall naturally to the baseto the base, creating a play of supple lines that contrasts with the rigorousarchitectural rigor.The richly molded bases rest on smallfeet. They are decorated on the main face with cartouchescartouches and openwork foliage, while the sides are adorned with plateswith floral motifs in slight relief.The overall effect is one of extremely fine chasing,with a perfect mastery of volumes, a highly nuanced depth of reliefand precise rendering of floral and ornamental details.The balance of proportions, sober eleganceof the decoration and the exceptional quality of the chasing, thesethese andirons are fully in line with the production of the great ParisianParisian bronziers of the late XVIIIᵉcentury, and can be stylistically compared with the work ofPierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) or his workshop, but no formal attributionat this stage.