with thirteen scroll branches supported by the Three Graces after Germain Pilon on a mannerist style base, giltwood and pale blue painted neoclassical triform plinth, electrified

Christie's London, The Nineteenth Century Interior, 26 October 2000, lot 77

Spectacular. The bronze bears and impression with the words 'Reduction Mecanique A. Collas' around a bust in profile. Will need to be re-wired. Drilled holes for electric wire. Silvering bronze tarnished in places - the silvered figures positioned on an associated gilt-bronze base and are slightly off centre. The associated painted wooden plinth with losses to paint and gilding and with chips and screw holes where the bronze sits from a former candelabra/stand.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The central section is after the celebrated marble group by Germain Pilon (1535-1590) of the Three Graces in the Louvre, Paris, commissioned in 1561 by Queen Catherine de Medici as a monument to her deceased husband, King Henri II (inv. no. M.R. 1591 A-B).

In the 19^th century, casts after this model were made by the leading bronziers of the time, including Victor Paillard (1805-1886), the talented collaborator of Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892), who often retailed his pieces. Paillard specialised in new techniques of silvering metal – see an identical model of this group marked with his initials VP and sold Sotheby’s Paris, Important Mobilier, 28 November 2016, lot 239,𒀰 on which the present attr𝕴ibution rests.

His talents discovered by the comte de Guzman, Paillard trained in Paris as a ciseleur, a pupil of Jean-François Denière and collaborator of Barbedienne, soon achieving great fame. His most prestigious commission came in the 1850s with the decoration of the Palais des Affaires Étrangères on the quai d'Orsay, and which included candelabra aux Trois Grâces.