Ref.12179
Pair of Voltaire and Rousseau busts in patinated bronze and marble

Pair of small busts of Voltaire and Rousseau, made in the second half of the 19th century, in bronze with two patinas and turned legs, molded in the form of a baluster in Rosso Antico marble.

Ref.13295
Small Louis XVI style fireback with an Allegory of Love

This antique Louis XVI style fireback was made in the 19th century. It depicts a scene where two hearts are burning on an altar surrounded by a laurel branches crown and flanked by a quiver with its arrows and a torch, the attributes of Love.

Ref.14666
Paul SOYER, Renaissance-Style Clock Set, circa 1875

This clock set in the spirit of the Renaissance was executed by Paul Soyer around 1875. Paul Soyer (1832-1903) worked as a chaser in Paris from the 1850s. Gradually, he learned the technique of enamel to replace ornamental bronzes in furniture decoration. He opened a workshop as an engraver-enameller in 1861 and then collaborated with renowned enamelers and goldsmiths, such as Claudius Popelin, Charles Duron, and Gustave Baugrand. It was as a collaborator of the latter that he won his first bronze medal at the 1867 Universal Exposition. Following this success, he opened a larger workshop and specialized in various enamel techniques, with a preference for painted enamel. He participated in all the French and foreign Universal Expositions, as well as the Expositions of the Union Centrale des Beaux Arts appliqués à l'Industrie. Regularly rewarded, notably with a gold medal in 1878, he was hors concours and a jury member from 1889, the year he received the Legion of Honor. His production, very varied, includes both small decorations for jewelry and true enamel paintings, as well as enameled art objects for goldsmithing and plaques intended for cabinetry. A follower of Popelin, he remained faithful to the art of the Renaissance and the early 17th century, particularly fond of the technique of polychrome enamels associated with grisaille, and that of gold camaieu.