A pair of gilt-bronze and porcelain vases, the mounts signed by Thomire & Cie, Paris, circa 1830, the porcelain, Chinese, 18th century

Collection of Madame Isaac Péreire, née Fanny Pereire (1825-1910);

Her sale, Galerie Jean Charpentier, Me Henri Baudoin, Tableaux anciens, objets d'art & tapisseries provenant de L’hôtel de Madame I. P ..., 4 June 1937, lot 88;

Christie's, Paris, The Exceptional Sale, 23 November 2021, lot 215 (sold 81,250 EUR).

J. Niclausse, Thomire, Fondeur-Ciseleur (1751-1843), Paris, 1947, p. 125

These vases, of impressive scale, exemplify the sophisticated interplay between porcelain and gilt-bronze that characterize the finest French decorative arts in the 18th and 19th centuries. The mounts, with their sculptural flair, draw upon the ornamental vocabulary of the ancien régime, specifically the tradition of embellishing porcelain with elongated, sinuous forms like serpents. Here Thomire & Cie seized the years following the fall of the Empire to explore more fantastical, expressive forms, whilst simultaneously showcasing their imaginative ingenuity and technical virtuosity.

The elaborate handles, shaped as winged dragons, perfectly complement the porcelain body painted in relief with claw dragons above jumping carps in water. A powerful visual dialogue is established, weaving together metal and ceramic in a unified narrative of motion. This interplay imbues the entire composition with a vivid sense of vitality and rhythmic energy. 

The slender, looping design of the handles recalls Thomire’s earlier Louis XVI works, notably seen in the mounted porcelain vases of circa 1787 in the Royal Collections (RCIN 45040), and another exquisite pair dating to circa 1789 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. 2008.529, .530). 

Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) and Thomire & Cie

Along with his master, Pierre Gouthière, Thomire was the most celebrated bronzier during the reign of Louis XVI. He was the son of a ciseleur but also received training under the sculptors A. Pajou (1730-1809) and J.-A. Houdon (1741-1828) and he cast bronze portrait busts for both. He was already working for the Royal family by 1775 and collaborated with Jean-Louis Prieur, ciseleur et doreur du Roi, on the bronze mounts for the coronation coach of Louis XVI. He set up his own atelier the following year and, in 1783, Thomire was appointed modeller to the Manufacture de Sèvres, succeeding Jean-Claude Duplessis. In the accounts of the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, his name appears frequently from 1784 as a maker of mounts. He collaborated with outstanding ébénistes of the time in particular with Beneman and Weisweiler.

During the Revolution, his atelier was used for the production of arms, but in 1804 he reverted to his former profession when he acquired the premises and business of the marchand-mercier Éloy Lignereux, the former partner and successor to Dominique Daguerre. His business flourished during the Empire period, and was renamed Thomire, Dutherme et Cie and, in 1807, he is recorded as employing at least seven hundred workers. Thomire was a favourite of Napoléon who made him Ciseleur de l'Empereur in 1809. In 1811, he collaborated with the goldsmith Odiot and made the celebrated cradle for the King of Rome. After the Restauration, he worked for the Bourbons and was awarded the Légion d'Honneur by Louis-Philippe.

Thomire retired in 1823 though his firm Thomire et Cie continued until 1850.

The Pereire family

Fanny Pereire (1825–1910) was a French philanthropist and an influential figure in the world of commerce but also art collecting during the 19th century, being the daughter . of Emile Pereire (1800-1875) and having married her uncle in 1840 Isaac Pereire (1806-1880).

The Pereire brothers were among the most influential figures of the Second Empire, shaping the 19th century financial, commercial and industrial landscape of France. They founded the Crédit immobilier and invested in a number of areas, including railways, real estate and shipping, both in France and abroad. In open rivalry with the Rothschilds and the Camondos, they won the support of Napoleon III, who shared their Saint-Simonian ideas. Like the Rothschilds, the Pereires built up collections of antique and contemporary art, as appetite and social strategy dictated. Alexandre Cabanel was one of the artists they called on regularly, initially to decorate their Paris mansion at 35, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré which the brothers had acquired in 1855.

In Herminie and Fanny Pereire – elite Jewish women in 19th century France, the academic Helen M. Davies casts more light on Fanny. Beyond raising children, Fanny and her mother, Herminie, played a significant role in supporting their husbands in their banking success, with lavish and carefully choreographed entertainments at their luxurious Paris mansion, country chateau and seaside villa. Fanny had a good eye for art and helped Isaac build a valuable art collection to dazzle guests: ‘All visitors, and God knows there were many of them, were dazzled and fascinated. And with good reason! Gold streamed, chandeliers blazed, carpets were reminiscent of forest moss. The most beautiful furniture rubbed shoulders with the most famous sculptures and paintings.” writes Jean Autin in Les Frères Pereire (1984).

After Isaac's death in 1880, Fanny channeled her resources into charitable endeavors. She established small hospitals offering free medical consultations, serving up to half a million people annually by the time of her death. Her commitment to social causes was evident when, during a severe winter in 1879–80, she donated 50,000 francs and set up a free canteen in Paris that served up to 2,400 hot meals a day to the poor. Fanny also supported scientific innovation, notably financing Clément Ader's early experiments in aviation.