A pair of large Louis XV style gilt and patinated bronze twenty-four-light chandeliers mid 20th century

Jacques Caffiéri (1673-1755), who trained as a sculptor, became the leading Fondeur-Ciseleur of the Louis XV period. Reçu mâitre in 1715, from 1736 he was employed by the Crown, working at Versailles, Fontainebleau, Choisy, Marly, and other Royal palaces.

The present lot is a variant of the original chandelier made by Caffieri for the Château Arnet, which was moved to the Mazarine Library in Paris after the revolution. The cherubs holding the tower are thought to represent one of the towers featured in the coat of arms of Madame de Pompadour. The boldly modeled branches and leaf sprays of the present model are also in keeping with the original. Other examples of chandeliers by Caffieri are in the Wallace Collection in London, see 'Wallace Collection Catalogues, Furniture,' plate 37.

A similar pair, from the same provenance has the ones offered today, sold in these rooms, April 27, 2006, lot 184 which sold for $ 144,000