Pair of Classical Bronze Electrified Oil Lamps

Included here is a pair of antique, neoclassical oil lamps crafted from two-tone patinated, dore bronze and mounted upon black marble plinths. Each measures 15" high, 15" wide and 5" deep. Each are electrified but require new wiring. No hallmarks or foundry marks have been found. Condition of each is excellent. One lamp depicts a seated male figure engraving a tablet, and the other depicts a female in similar pose who is reading a book, representative of l' Etude and la Philosophie, after the original bronzes cast by Pierre-philippe Thomire (1751-1843), the leading bronzier of the First Empire. Thomire based his designs on the original porcelain figures by Louis-simon Boizot (1743-1809), known mostly for his bisque sculptures and the Director of Sculpture at the Sevres factory. (An oil lamp attributed to Thomire depicting the L' Etude figure resides in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. A pair of candlesticks based on these designs and attributed to Thomire were offered in lot 104 by Sotheby's Paris on 10/16/07 and sold for 84,250 euros.) Our lamps have very old wiring with cloth casing and were electrified in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The are not likely of the Empire period, but they are certainly antiques, likely dating from the 1880s. Each weighs an estimated 18-24 lbs. These lamps reside in our client's gallery on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (New York City) and may be seen in person by appointment.

2

1

100