PAIR OF LOUIS XVI PERIOD ANDIRONS Chased and gilded bronze, decorated with an elongated sphinx, resting on a base decorated with a relief of putto holding doves and jagged foliage clasps, the counter base encircled by a double frieze of pearls and acanthus leaves; the gilding is worn. H. 24 cm (9 ½ in.) l. 25 cm (9 ¾ in.) Provenance: sale in Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 7 December 1971 ; Former Paul-Louis Weiller collection; Sale in Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 5 April 2011, lot 118 (€ 32.000 hammer) ; A pair of Louis XVI gilt-bronze firedogs The theme of sphinges is a recurrent one in decorative vocabulary between the last quarter of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century; it can be found in drawings by Dugourc as well as those by the architect François-Joseph Bellanger (cf. H. Ottomeyer, P. Pröschel et al, Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, Vol. I, p. 276, fig. 4.11.13), or in the woodwork created by Jean-Siméon Rousseau for Queen Marie-Antoinette in her petits appartements at the Château de Versailles (cf. ibid., p. 277, fig. 4.11.15). This model of andirons was made many times, with variations in the base or patina; historians do not seem to agree on the precise attribution of the model, which has been given to both Pierre Gouthière and Pierre-Philippe Thomire. A comparable pair of andirons, with a variation in the base, sold at Hôtel Drouot, Paris, on 1 July 2005, lot 182 (former collection of Baron and Baroness Alain de Gunzburg), while a second pair sold at Hôtel Drouot, Paris, on 29 June 1989, lot 251. PAUL LOUIS WEILLER (1893-1993) Our pair has a prestigious provenance; it was part of the collection of the great French art lover Paul-Louis Weiller (1893-1993), one of the most important collectors of decorative arts in the last century. The Parisian elite flocked to Weiller's many residences, including the Villa Trianon in Versailles, the Noviciat, the Hôtel des Ambassadeurs d'Hollande in the Marais district and his private mansion in the Rue de la Faisanderie, all privileged settings where he surrounded himself with paintings and furniture, with a faithful taste for the eighteenth century and its classical influences. *Information for buyers: The auction is exclusive of VAT. VAT at the reduced rate of 5.5% applies to the auction. This VAT is recoverable for French professionals. It is refundable for a buyer from outside the EU on presentation of proof of export from the EU or for a professional buyer providing proof of an intra-Community VAT number and a document proving delivery in the Member State. *Information to the buyers : The hammer price and premium will be VAT excluded. 5.5% VAT will be added to the hammer price and premium. Upon request, this VAT can be refunded to the purchaser on presentation of written proof of exportation outside EU, or to the EU purchaser who will submit his intracommunity VAT number and a proof of shipment to an EU country.