Pair of Empire Ormolu and Silvered Bronze Urns attributed to Thomire
£8,500
A fine pair of Empire ormolu and silvered bronze urns attributed to Pierre-Philippe Thomire, each of amphora shape with gadrooned everted rim, with scrolled handles above a body mounted with a band of trailing vines and leaf-cast base over a waisted socle; standing on stepped pedestal bases with lyre mounts and foliate-cast plinth
Pierre-Philippe Thomire was a French sculptor known above all for his work in gilded bronze, he became the leading caster in France at the end of the 18th century, with an important workshop established in 1775. His career saw a surprising improvement when he began assisting Jean-Claude-Thomas Duplessis, the artistic director of the Manufacture de Porcelaine de Sèvres, and, when the latter died in 1783, Thomire continued his work, creating the bronze mounts for porcelain. Such was his success that he continued to work during the French Revolution. In 1804 he expanded the business, buying the workshop of a cabinetmaker, which allowed him to work with furniture. He worked for Napoleon and after the fall of Napoleon, retiring at the age of 72.
