Ref.5066
Louis XVI style mantel carved in red marble

Ref.15591
THOMIRE & Cie, Hunting-Themed Centerpiece, before 1853

This hunting-themed centerpiece was crafted by the Thomire & Cie company around 1850. Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) was the most famous member of a distinguished family of artists. The son of a founder, he excelled in bronze production and received prestigious commissions. In 1804, his company, Thomire, Duterme & Cie, acquired the succession of the cabinetmaking, bronze, gilding, and curiosities business of Martin-Éloi Lignereux and incorporated its own bronze and gilding workshop. In 1820, Pierre-Philippe Thomire founded a new company with his sons-in-law, Carbonelle and Beauvisage, who took over the company in 1823. This firm continued its production until 1853, ten years after its founder’s death. This centerpiece belonged to the noble de Pierres family. Originally from Anjou, the de Pierres family dates back at least to the 13th century with Baudouin I, Lord of Plessis-Baudouin. ‘Pour loyauté soutenir’ is the family motto, while their coat of arms is “or, a cross pattée couped gules”. This particular coat of arms must have adorned the de Pierres table when they hosted at the Château des Brétignolles in Anché, which belonged to the family from 1811 to 1932. The centerpiece consists of a large central bowl, two candelabras, and four compotes, each featuring Renaissance-inspired motifs related to the theme of hunting. The central piece rests on four reclining stags bearing the weight of the structure, each lifting its front left leg as if to rise. The exceptional precision of the chasing renders both the silky texture of the animals’ fur and the roughness of their antlers. Their posture recalls that of the magnificent beast accompanying Diana in the statue from the Château d’Anet, now housed at the Louvre Museum. The circular base of the piece, supported by the backs of the stags, is bordered by a frieze of eggs and darts. Above, it features a space adorned with feminine masks framed in cartouches connected by still-life motifs. The upper level is decorated with four pairs of animal heads: two pairs of hunting dogs and two pairs of snarling wolves. A gadroon frieze introduces a vase motif, topped by twisted flutes containing a rose surrounded by leafy designs. Under the bowl, scrolls and palmettes reminiscent of Renaissance grotesques unfold, interspersed with still-life fruit motifs. Near the rim of the bowl, a second level multiplies the intricate leafy patterns. Each candelabra rests on a polygonal base topped by a mirror frieze and a heart-leaf frieze. The arrangement of the four animal heads differs slightly from the central piece: two deer heads are flanked on one side by a dog’s head and on the other by a snarling wolf. The upper section, introduced by a gadroon frieze, features a column with spiraling fluting encircling the shaft. This column supports a platform where three light arms extend in an arc, one ending in a volute and the other in a griffin’s head supporting a leafy basin. At the center, an ornamental support holds a fourth basin. For the four compotes, the dog heads alternate with wolf heads, echoing the design of the centerpiece and unifying the set. Each supports a flared glass corolla. Two pieces of evidence support the attribution of this set to Thomire & Cie. First, one of the wooden supports beneath the base of the compotes bears an inscription written in ink, linking the centerpiece to a certain “Mr. Tomirun(e)”, a distorted reference to the bronzier and founder’s name. Second, the motif of the four animal heads – stag, dog, and snarling wolf – can be found identically on the candelabras of a Carrara marble and gilt bronze fireplace garniture signed “Thomire & Cie”, sold at CR Art Auctions in 2024.