Pair Of Large Regency-style Fire Irons, Gilded Bronze, Featuring Lions, Chimeras, And Dragons, By Charles Cressent, 19th Century

Pair of fire tongs with chimeras, gilded bronze, after Charles Cressent, 19th century

Pair of fire tongs in chiseled and gilded bronze, 19th-century work, Regency style, based on Charles Cressent’s decorative repertoire.

Each andiron is adorned with a winged chimera—or fantastical dragon—positioned atop a large, architecturally styled volute. The creatures feature open mouths, prominent crests, outstretched membranous wings, and muscular bodies. Beneath each one, a lion’s muzzle emerges from the center of the scrollwork, its paws extended, in a highly expressive composition.

The base combines volutes, palmettes, stylized acanthus leaves, geometric diamond patterns, and animal feet. The ensemble draws on the Regency style of early 18th-century decorative bronzes: hybrid figures, lions, chimeras, dragons, sculptural scrollwork, and highly decorative movement.

This model is related to the chimera and lion-muzzle andirons inspired by the repertoire of Charles Cressent. Comparable examples are described in auction catalogs as chiseled and gilded bronze andirons depicting chimeras resting on bases with scrollwork centered around a lion’s muzzle, in the Regency style, late 19th century, with parallels to the Wrightsman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum.

The reverse sides reveal a hollow construction with joints and fasteners. The two andirons differ in weight, likely due to their internal hollow bronze framework and old fasteners or reinforcements. This difference does not affect their appearance.

Condition: generally good. Wear, scuffs, minor marks, and variations in the gilding. Note: a small chip of approximately 1 cm on the wing of one of the dragons, barely visible when on display. See photographs.

Dimensions of each andiron: 37 × 30 × 14 cm.

Weight: 6.790 kg and 8.130 kg.