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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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RICHARD REDDING ANTIQUES |
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A very fine pair of Russian malachite and gilt bronze mounted Brûle Parfums, early 19th Century each of ovoid form, the domed cover with pineapple finial, above a pierced rim, with Three female term supports holding swags of chains with tasselled drapery, terminating in hoof feet, on a concave-sided triform base, cast with leaves and beading; some minor restorations to malachite. Height 40cm This pair of brûle parfums, whilst obviously Russian, are inspired by the French Empire bronzes of Claude Galle (1759-1815), despite the ban by the Russian on the import of French bronzes in the late 18th Century. It is possible that the present pair was designed by André Voronkhin (1759-1814), the Russian architect and designer and executed by Friedrich Bergenfeldt (1760-1814), who was arguably without a doubt, one of the finest bronzier who was working in St. Petersburg in the early part of the 19th Century. Most of the French inspired sophisticated Russian Empire bronzes were produced by both Voronikhin and Bergenfeldt who were influences by Galle in the main. They not only travelled to workshops in Paris of the greates bronziers but also worked very closely with Emperor Paul at Mikailovsky and Pavlovsk who assembled a great collection of gilt-bronzes. Literature: Hans Ottomeyer/Peter Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen” Vol. I, Munich, 1986, pp. 364-365 Andrei Voronikhin Voronikhin was born the illegitimate son of Count Alexander Stroganov and educated in Moscow and trained under the architect Vasily Bazhenov. He studied in Paris and returned to St. Petersburg in the early 1790’s where he assisted Bazhenov with the construction of Mikailovsky Castle. After the great fire in 1803, he was appointed director of renovating and furnishing most of the principal rooms at Pavlovsk Palace under the direction of Brenna. Friedrich Bergenfeldt Bergenfeldt was born in Germany and worked in St. Petersburg in the 1790’s followed by a possible stint in Paris, had again returned to Russia by 1801. A pair of vases attributed to Bergenfeldt were recently exhibited and a few other examples are known to exist (see A. Dandois « L’Empire à travers l’Europe », exh. Cat. 2000, pp. 22-23). For a pair of Russian malachite and gilt-bronze tazze possibly by Voronikhin and Bergenfeldt, with female figures conceived in a similar vein- see lot 297, Christie’s, New York, Arts of France, 26th October 2001 |