Jules Moignez Candlesticks

Important and spectacular pair of 19th century bronze candlesticks, cast from an old edition signed by the sculptor Jules Moignez. Beautiful objects for a festive decor! Naturalistic animal decor with herons catching fish and catching dragonflies in a lakeside atmosphere of water plants and reeds, partridges, ducks, foxes, adorn the shaft and the arms of the chandeliers. The tripod base rests on deer hooves. The structure of the candlestick is made up of four arms with volutes finalized by sockets and a central candlestick. We notice the presence of some small rings allowing the attachment of flowers or small decorations. Jules Moignez (1835-1894) was a French animal sculptor. He participated in the Universal Exhibition of 1855 where he was noticed and obtained an honorable mention at the Salon of 1859, the first of a long series of distinctions. In view of his success, his father invested in a foundry in Paris and thereby guaranteed extreme care and an impeccable finish for his bronzes. Moignez will also be present with works at the Universal Exhibition of 1878. The second half of the 19th century saw hunting develop as a true art of living. At the same time, the popularization of the natural sciences leads artists to generalize naturalistic representations where the animal becomes the center of the decor, while emancipating themselves from the mythological representations fashionable over the past centuries. Herons, partridges, pheasants, deer, foxes, wild boars, hunting dogs form a large repertoire, supplemented by elephants, lions and tigers for more exotic scenes, a repertoire from which sculptors draw their inspiration for compositions that will complete the decorations. interiors of an increasingly important bourgeoisie enriched by the development of the industrial era.