André-Antoine Ravrio, pair of Empire period torches.

A beautiful pair of finely chiseled and gilded bronze candlesticks from the Empire period.
Each candlestick rests on a round base decorated with a frieze of water leaves and gadroons radiating around the stem.
The stem, with eight sides, is adorned with palmettes at the collar and a very finely matted ball, matte at the tip, set with a fine laurel wreath.
At the top, the socket takes the form of a Medici vase with a gadrooned base.
The bobeches feature a frieze of water leaves that echoes that of the base.

Four identical candlesticks were delivered to the Garde Meuble for the Palace of Fontainebleau by André-Antoine Ravrio, a bronze-gilder at 93 Rue de Richelieu in Paris, in July 1810.

Beautifully preserved, with original gilding.

Empire period, 1800-1810.

References and bibliography:
- "Bronze and Crystal," Marie-France Dupuy-Baylet, Faton editions, p. 394.
- "Clocks and Bronze Furniture Entered at Fontainebleau Under the First Empire," Jean-Pierre Samoyault, Éditions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, p. 196, no. 184.
- National Furniture Collections, a pair of identical candlesticks referenced under the number
GML-2181-002

André Antoine Ravrio (1759-1814) :
One of the most illustrious bronze makers of the late 18th century and the First Empire, André Antoine Ravrio was appointed master founder in 1777 and set up his own business in 1790. He ran a major establishment during the Empire. Ravrio supplied bronze furnishings for the imperial palaces and a prestigious clientele (Emperor Napoleon, Prince Murat, Louis Bonaparte, etc.).
Tracing his roots back to his roots, André-Antoine Ravrio belonged to a family of famous artists related to a renowned cabinetmaker, Vandercruse.
Ravirio chose his father's trade, that of a bronze caster, and quickly became a sought-after craftsman at the end of the Ancien Régime.
What is less well known about this exceptional master bronze caster is that he was gifted with a talent for writing. He composed numerous poems and was the author of several vaudeville shows. He was a member of numerous literary and charitable societies. He was also the creator of a 3,000-franc prize to enable the discovery of a preventive measure to combat the dangers of using mercury in the practice of the metal gilding profession.

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