As a consequence of King Louis XIV’s need for gold to fund his ongoing and expensive wars at the beginning of the eighteenth century, gilt bronze started to replace gold and silver as the primary material of French metalworkers. Parisian marchands-merciers—the intermediaries between artisans and collectors—contributed to the development of a taste for gilt bronze by selling porcelain wares enriched with gilt-bronze mounts. For them, gilt bronze was a way to increase the value of, and boost the demand for, their unsold porcelain. In general, precious gilt-bronze mounts were made to fit porcelain vases and not vice versa. Gouthière was proud of his skill in affixing gilt bronze with no visible means of attachment and no drilling holes.
These two vases—one of which was substituted in the nineteenth century—originally belonged to the Duke of Aumont and are a rare example of the earliest white porcelain produced in Europe. They were likely inspired by a Chinese vase from Dehua that belonged to Augustus the Strong—the Elector of Saxony who promoted the establishment of the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Far from common wares, such vases were perceived as extremely valuable and therefore suited for extraordinary mounts.
The ornamental and functional gilt-bronze mounts on the Frick’s pair of candelabras include cornucopias, goat heads, deer hooves, vine leaves with grapes, and in the center a thyrsus staff topped with a pinecone and covered with ivy leaves. These motifs are directly associated with Arcadia, the idyllic mythological region in Greece that was home to Pan, the god who looks after shepherds and their flocks. Superbly chiseled and painstakingly made, these two vases exemplify the exquisite, if not profligate, taste of the French nobility.
The Arcadian motifs of the eighteenth-century candelabras contrast sharply with the reality of social disharmony and imminent revolution toward the close of the eighteenth century. In 1787, soon after the candelabras were made, the gilder Pierre Gouthière filed for bankruptcy, not least because his aristocratic clientele was exiled or executed during the French Revolution.
Pair of Candelabra
These candelabra, among Gouthière’s last commissions for the Duke of Aumont, are a true tour de force. The extremely detailed chasing lends a naturalistic appearance to the swirling ivy and grapevines decorating the vases’ shoulders, as well as to the individual pomegranates, pears, and other fruits that spill from the cornucopias that form each candleholder. At the same time, the rough texture of the goats’ ridged horns contrasts with the silky appearance of their wool. Gouthière’s superb chasing was embellished by his unique gilding techniques, which included dorure au mat, or matte gilding, that can be seen here on the goat’s heads and on the many leaves on the candleholders. What distinguishes these candelabra is the contrast of the bronzes made by Gouthière—whose craftsmanship is comparable to that of a goldsmith—with the simplicity of the white vases. These were considered in the Aumont sale catalogue to be of Meissen porcelain, although they appear in the section titled “old white Japanese porcelain.” Regardless of what Aumont knew about the porcelain, he valued these vases highly enough to have commissioned such exquisite mounts for them.
These works were included in the exhibition Pierre Gouthière: Virtuoso Gilder at the French Court.
The candelabra were made in 1782 by Pierre Gouthière, the “celebrated Gouthière,” as he was called in his lifetime. Gouthière became a master chaser-gilder in 1758 and by 1765 was gilding pieces in both bronze and silver for the famous silversmith François-Thomas Germain. In 1767, Gouthière was appointed gilder to the king, working for the Menus-Plaisirs du Roi, the arm of the royal household that managed the king’s personal effects and organized his entertainment, creating decors for theatrical productions and for occasions such as marriages and funerals. Thus began Gouthière’s long career in the service of the French court. In addition to Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, Gouthière’s clientele included the Count of Artois, the Countess Du Barry, the Duke of Duras, the Duchess of Mazarin, Princess Kinsky, the Marquis of Marigny, the king of Poland, and the Duke of Aumont.
The candelabra were commissioned by the Duke of Aumont — among the most important art collectors in eighteenth-century France — shortly before he died on April 15, 1782. The duke’s cabinet of curiosities was renowned for its antique marble, mounted porphyry, and oriental porcelain, and the gilt bronzes he commissioned from Gouthière were familiar to connoisseurs of the time.
When the Duke of Aumont died, this pair of candelabra (not quite finished) was at the workshop of Gouthière, who completed them just in time for the memorable sale of the duke’s estate, which started on December 12, 1782. Each piece in the sale, including these candelabra, was described in the sale catalogue, which was written by the merchant of luxury goods Philippe-François Julliot (1727–1794) and the painter Alexandre-Joseph Paillet (1743−1814). The catalogue specifies that “all the works [by Gouthière] are indicated at the ends of the entries by the initial letter G.” This pair (lot 148) is attributed to Gouthière and described as being of “pleasing shape.” Julliot and Paillet added that the gilt-bronze mounts were of “distinctive refined taste.” This refers to the characteristic style of the celebrated architect François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818), who was responsible for their design.
