A pair of Louis XIV style gilt-bronze chenets, 19th century

Designs for chenets and girandoles from the reign of Louis XIV are illustrated by Mariette in Nouveaux dessins de meubles et ouvrages de bronze et de marqueterie inventés et gravés par André-Charles Boulle, chez Mariette (1724, plates 6 and 7). These drawings present key characteristics of the style, such as the grotesque masks, gadroons and scrolls which were certainly inspirations for the present pair of chenets. Related models of chenets dated around 1700-1710 are illustrated in H. Ottomeyer, P. Pröschel, et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I., p. 68, ill. 1.10.2 and 1.10.3. Similar models featuring a two-handled lidded vase, medallions in profile and foliate finials sold at Christie's London, 3rd March 1994, lot 10 and Sotheby's New York, 4th November 1989, lot 164.