An exceptional and rare pair of Louis XV period torches attributed to Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813), in finely chased bronze gilded with ground gold, with sheathed central shafts topped by four lion's heads and decorated with drapery, resting on conjoined lion's paws, the foot with a Greek motif emerging from a bouquet of lotus leaves, the pedestal base with a laurel wand motif and friezes of darts and ovals, h. 35 cm Provenance: Xavier and Léon Givaudan Collection, established in the early 20th century. In connection with this lot, the family archives have provided an invoice from Paul Selz in Paris, dated 17 May 1939, in the name of Xavier Givaudan, mentioning: Quatre flambeaux identique en bronze doré, modèle Delafosse. One of the pairs was sold by us in March 2017, lot 599. Similar pieces : - Sotheby's Paris, France, 26 June 2024, lot n°10 - Sotheby's, Paris, France, 11 December 2019, lot n°8 - Artcurial, Collection de Monsieur Georges Bemberg, 20 June 2012, lot 450 - Christie's Monaco, Lagerfeld Collection, 28 and 29 April 2000, lot 32, - Sotheby's Monaco, 23 February 1986, lot 905 - Christie's Monaco, Lagerfeld Collection, 28 and 29 April 2000, lot 33 - Christie's London, 11 June 1992, lot 72 - Verlet Pierre, Les Bronzes Dorés Français du XVIIIème siècle, Paris, 1987, p.130, Fig A - Christie's London, Raphël Collection, 18 May 1927, lot 109 Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813) This elegant pair of torches brilliantly illustrates the "Greek" taste, the expression of a classical revival that took hold in Paris in the 1760s and 1770s. A measured reaction to the exuberance of the rocaille style, this highly rigorous ornamental language was inspired by the models disseminated by ornamentalists such as Jean-François de Neufforge and Jean-Charles Delafosse. The design, with its skilful symmetry and architectural balance, incorporates motifs from Antiquity that were being rediscovered at the time: friezes of Grecians, meanders, posts and gadroons give rhythm to the volumes with a clear and powerful order. The bronze work, alternating matt and shiny surfaces, perfectly reflects the mastery of the best bronzemakers of the period, and bears witness to the hand of an exceptional chiseller. The Grecian frieze decorating the brackets of these torches is remarkably sober and precise in its Neoclassical style, replacing the more flexible interlacing found on other related models. The lions' heads, draperies and clawed paws come to life under the dense, nervous chasing typical of Pierre Gouthière, whose matte gilding, which had only recently been perfected, gives the piece incomparable depth and richness of tone. The innovative spirit of this neoclassicism was undoubtedly echoed in Gouthière's early collaborations with the famous goldsmith François-Thomas Germain. There are a number of similarities between their works: the base of the stove in Germain's kettle, made in 1762-1763 (Museum of Ancient Art, Lisbon), rests on sheaths decorated with animal heads and paws, a feature found here in the four leaning sheaths of our torches, surmounted by lions' heads and draperies. These torches bear witness to the most brilliant period in the art of French gilded bronze, when the refinement of the design and the perfection of the gilding combined to achieve an ideal of elegance and formal power.