PAIR OF CHENETS after CAFFIERI in chased, patinated... Lot 71

PAIR OF CHENETS after CAFFIERI in chased, patinated and gilded bronze, representing in round bump a dog and a cat sitting on cushions. They rest on quadrangular bases with protrusions decorated with flowers and interlacing friezes. On four fluted stacks. Napoleon III, Louis XVI style. After a model by Jacques Caffieri for the Prince de Condé in 1773. Height. 37 cm. Pair of chiselled and gilded bronze chenets after a model by Caffieri for the Prince de Condé. 19th century. Model reproduced : - Reinier BAARSEN, Paris 1650-1900 Decorative Arts in the Riijksmuseum, Yale University Press, New Haven, London, p. 394, n°95. - Hans OTTOMEYER, Peter PRÖSCHEL, Vergoldete Bronzen, vol. I, Munich, 1986, p. 201, figs. 3, 14 and 12. Carried out during the second half of the 19th century, this pair of caterpillars is fully in keeping with the eclectic taste of the reign of Napoleon III. Indeed, Empress Eugenie brought the Louis XVI style up to date in her château de Compiègne. Jacques Caffieri is one of the most famous 18th century bronze-makers. Received as a master caster-chiseler in 1715, he works almost exclusively for the castles of the crown, including Versailles and Fontainebleau. The original model of the bronzes for these chenets was delivered to the Prince de Condé in 1773 for the sum of 1,120 pounds.