A French gilt-bronze mounted Chinese porcelain lamp, by Gagneau, Paris, late 19th century

RELATED LITERATURE

Antonio Cota Fevereiro, ‘ A Reinvencao do Rococo pela Industria de Luminaria Francesa e Alema no ultimo quartel do seculo XIX’, Artis - Revista de História da Arte e Ciências do Património, Universidade Nova, nr. 07/08, 2019-2020, 187-198.

The firm Gagneau was a Parisian establishment founded in 1800 specialised in lighting which was at the forefront of the oil and electric lighting innovations throughout the 19^th century. The quality of their silver and metalwork was renowned having received numerous prizes in the great exhibitions of the 19^th century, such as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London in 1851 and the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1855. Attracting numerous royal customers to their galleries in rue Laffayette, Queen Maria Pia of Portugal shopped there and is documented to have order in 1887 seven silvered oil lamps, one of which to offer the Duchess of Palmela (Fevereiro, p.192). A Rococo silver model with the Portuguese royal arms is still in the Palacio da Ajuda, Lisbon. The duchess seems to have become herself a client of the firm, with several lamps by Gagneau in the Palmela Collection – a similar model to the one at Ajuda, a pair with the engraved Palmela coat-of-arms, was sold Christie’s London, 28 November 2012 £49,900).