Lapis Lazuli Candelabrum Vase with Seated Female Musicians (One of a Pair)

Candelabrum Vase (one of a pair)

French, Paris

Formerly attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire (French, 1751–1843)

Dateca. 1785

MediumGilt and patinated bronze, lapis lazuli and marble

Dimensions45 1/2 × 19 1/4 in. (115.6 × 48.9 cm)

Credit LineHenry Clay Frick Bequest

Accession number1915.6.09

Commentary

Between 1786 and 1788, the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory produced a dozen round and oval vases in dark blue hard-paste porcelain that were fitted with gilt-bronze mounts attributed to the renowned bronzemaker Pierre-Philippe Thomire. The oval version shown here was commissioned in November of 1786 by Dominique Daguerre, the preeminent Parisian marchand-mercier (merchant of luxury goods) of the period, and thus was referred to in the factory’s records as a “vase Daguerre ovale.” The vase exemplifies the highly sophisticated luxury items produced in France on the eve of the revolution. Its symmetry recalls ancient models, as do its gilt-bronze mounts, which are in the shape of acanthus and laurel leaves, pine cones, and palmettes.

This large candelabrum and its pair, 1915.6.10, each feature three patinated-bronze figurines representing female musicians seated on the base. One figure leans forward blowing a pair of pipes, another beats a raised tambourine, and the third claps a pair of castanets. The bronzes borrow a decorative vocabulary commonly found in other pieces of the period, including goat heads and swags of grapevines and flowers. The candle sockets are concealed in the outermost roses of the luxuriant bouquets that also include carnations and poppies amid abundant foliage.

Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.

Collection History

Prince Soltykoff. J. Pierpont Morgan, London and New York. Duveen. Frick, 1915.

Source: Furniture in The Frick Collection: French 18th- & 19th-Century Furniture (Pt. 2) & Gilt Bronzes. Volume VI. New York: The Frick Collection, 1992.

Not On View

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Gilt Bronzes