A pair of gilt bronze andirons

A pair of Regence style andirons representing two sphinges wearing Egyptian head dressings, on a vegetal patterns decorated base with four whirled feet.
The Regence style as all periods of artistic production does not coincide exactly with the historical period that bears its name. The regent Philippe d'Orleans reigned eight years from 1715 to 1723. The Regence style extends over a much longer period, almost forty years, from 1690 to 1730. This new movement is a transition style between two diametrically opposed conceptions: the Louis xiv, where everything is subject to architectural forms and the Louis XV style, on other hand, where the decor submit forms. This duality is reflected in various forms that evolve from a severity very apparent to flexibility and freedom of expression. The result is an original style which reflects these andirons created under Napoleon iii, but incorporating fully the characteristics of Regence style.


Bibliography:P. Kjellberg, Ce qu'il faut regarder pour reconnaître le style Régence, in Connaissance des Arts, Paris, 1962, n°128.