André-antoine Ravrio – Pair Of Candelabra With Zephyrs – Louis XVI Period, Late 18th Century

André-Antoine Ravrio – Rare Pair of Candelabras with Zephyrs – Louis XVI Period, Late 18th Century

Rare and significant pair of candelabras with Zephyrs, in finely chiseled bronze, patinated and gilded, with white marble bases, Louis XVI period, late 18th century, belonging to the famous model attributed to the Parisian bronze artist André-Antoine Ravrio (1759–1814).

Each depicts a young winged Zephyr, rendered in bronze with a dark patina, portrayed in a dynamic pose: balancing on one leg, the other thrown back, he holds aloft at arm’s length two elegant gilded bronze torches, topped with substantial candle holders chiseled with foliage motifs.

The two figures, designed as a pair, are distinguished by the high quality of their casting and chiseling: the supple modeling of the bodies, expressive faces, abundant curly hair, and the delicacy of the wings. The contrast between the deep patina of the Zephyrs and the luster of the gilded bronze lends the ensemble a particularly refined presence.

They rest on elegant circular bases of fluted white marble, accented by rows of gilded bronze beads. This decorative vocabulary, along with the figures’ almost dance-like lightness and the slender proportions of the candelabra, firmly places this pair within the Louis XVI aesthetic of the final decades of the 18th century.

A historic model attributed to Ravrio

This pair is of particular interest as it dates from the early period of the famous “Zephyrs” candelabra model, before its further development during the Consulate and the Empire.

André-Antoine Ravrio, who was granted the title of master foundryman in 1777, was one of the great Parisian bronze casters at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Since his bronzes are generally unsigned, their attribution relies on documented models, historical inventories, and comparisons with examples preserved in major collections.

The “Zephyrs” model is specifically associated with Ravrio through several reference examples. The Mobilier National holds a famous pair dated around 1805, inv. GML 5879/1-2, documented among Joachim Murat’s furnishings at the Élysée Palace. Another pair attributed to Ravrio, also from around 1805, is housed at the Residenz in Munich and published in the reference work *Vergoldete Bronzen* by Ottomeyer and Pröschel.

This pair predates those early 19th-century examples and still fully embodies the Louis XVI style; it thus bears witness to the very origins of a design that would enjoy remarkable longevity.

Its success was indeed enduring, as the model would be revisited in the 19th century by the great historicist bronze casters, notably Henry Dasson—a testament to the importance and longevity of this creation.

Condition

The pair is in remarkably good overall condition. The Zephyrs display a beautiful, deep, and nuanced antique patina, while the gilded bronze elements retain a lovely luster. The white marble bases are also very well preserved.

Due to their age, rarity, quality of craftsmanship, and the historical significance of their model, these candelabra constitute a superb example of the excellence of Parisian bronze work in the late 18th century.

Period: Louis XVI, late 18th century
Bronze artist: design attributed to André-Antoine Ravrio (1759–1814)
Materials: chiseled, patinated, and gilded bronze; white marble
Two lights per candelabra

Comparative bibliography:
Hans Ottomeyer & Peter Pröschel, *Vergoldete Bronzen*, 1986, vol. I, p. 325, fig. 5.1.5.
Marie-France Dupuy-Baylet, L’Heure, le Feu, la Lumière, 2010, pp. 124–125, entry 63.
Mobilier National, inv. GML 5879/1–2.

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