ALLEMAGNE (?)MIlieu du XVIIIe siecle

ALLEMAGNE (?)MIlieu du XVIIIe siecle

PAIR OF MONUMENTAL "ROCOCO"
SCONCE SPLACES Gilt bronze
H. 76 cm, W. 50 cm
Drilled for electricity
These sconces are a masterpiece of gilt bronze from the mid-18th century showing an admirable work of chiseling and betraying the remarkable sensitivity of those who executed them.
The virtuoso design not only mixes volutes and branches but also full and hollow and perfectly masters the contrast between the brown and the amatis.
These sconces were probably created across the Rhine and we know the role and influence of Paris in this field.
The German princely residences indeed possess many French works proving the importance of the relationship with Parisian craftsmanship. The courts of
Bavaria and Prussia went from simple purchases to the manufacture of bronzes in an original style in the spirit of what was done in Paris and in the admiration of the French court.
The King of Prussia Frederick II (1712-1786), whose French-speaking world is well known, showed a very marked infatuation for French art. His desire was to create a richer and more rococo style than that of Louis XV by ensuring his own production through the creation of local workshops. Frederick II sent many people to Paris, in particular to copy models and techniques. Thus his secretary Michael Gabriel
Fredersdorff came to Paris in 1751 as part of a mission that would be described today as economic espionage (cf. Tobias Locker, A Prussian factory of gilt bronzes à la française: Johann Melchior Kambly (1718-1784) and the adoption of
Parisian savoir-faire. Materials and Techniques of Bronze Sculpture from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century, Archetype Publication, London, 2014). Michael Gabriel Fredersdorff recruits several craftsmen in
Paris, including the foundryman Daniel Valy, the gilders Nicolas Morel and Jean Audibert, the modeler-sculptor Coussinet and the chiseler Pierre Geoffroy. Many craftsmen were already working for the king in Prussia.
Among these, it is worth mentioning Johann Melchior Kambly ( 1718-1784). Of Swiss origin, he arrived in Potsdam in 1742. He excelled in bronze, stone, marble and woodwork. The gilded bronze ornaments that he produced, particularly on the furniture in the New Palace or at Sanssouci in
Potsdam, illustrate his talent but also his very personal interpretation of rococo.
Pierre Verlet sums up his role as follows (Les bronzes dorés français du XVIIIe siècle, Picard,
Paris, 199 p 234): "the great man of Frederick II for bronze works is
Johann Melchior Kambli. The King of Prussia has full confidence in this man from Zurich.
He is not wrong. The choice is a good one. It is probable, but not proven, that Kambly passed through Paris in 1746. The influence on him of Boulle, Cressent, Caffiéri has been noted many times".
These sconces are distinguished by the perfect balance between the shaft and the three arms of light but also by the richness of their ornamental repertoire. This one is of great originality; let us mention in particular the bee motif which comes to animate and punctuate the foliage.
Deriving in many respects from contemporary Parisian models, these wall lights are imbued with a fantasy and richness that make them a spectacular and fascinating testimony to the influence of French taste in Europe. Automatically translated by DeepL. To see the original version, click here.