A PAIR OF LATE LOUIS XVI ORMOLU-MOUNTED BLUE SEVRES PORCELAIN VASES

Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843) was amongst the most celebrated bronzier-ciseleurs of the period. Thomire was born into a family of ciseleurs and worked initially for the renowned bronziers Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813) and Jean-Louis Prieur (d.circa 1785-1790), ciseleur-doreur du roi, and quickly established reputation for finely chased gilt-bronzes. On the death of Jean-Claude-Thomas Chambellan-Duplessis (d.1773), Pierre-Philippe Thomire assumed the role of bronzier at the Sèvres manufactory, and he frequently collaborated with the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre (d. 1796), also known for his ability to marry ormolu with other luxury materials such as porphyry and lacquer into stunning objets. The delicate chasing and naturalistic movement of the dolphins' bodies and the leaves on the base complement the form of the vases and point to the expert hand of Thomire. A pair of near-identical vases was sold by Christie's, London on December 1, 2005, lot 221 (£21,600). This pair, bought by Charles Wynne Griffiths Wynne (1780-1865), differs from the present pair by the presence on the base of an additional ring above the square plinth. A further pair of the same form but decorated with arabesques was possibly acquired by Louis XVI at the 1786 exhibition and placed in his Cabinet de la pendule at Versailles (Sotheby's, Paris, 18 October 2006, lot 80).