Pair of Wrought Iron Andirons in the Style of Edgar Bran with Serpents

These andirons are among the most sculptural and dramatically designed in the entire tradition of French ironwork, their entire form animated by the coiled body of a serpent — each post describing a large spiralled volute in wrought iron, the serpent's head at the top and its tail at the base, resting on a small iron sphere. The serpent, rendered with a vigour that attests to the hand of a skilled ironworker, coils through space with an energy that transforms what is usually an angular and static object into something almost zoomorphic and alive. This design belongs to the Art Deco vocabulary developed by Edgar Brandt (1880-1960), the most famous French ironworker of the early 20th century, whose work fused the fluidity of naturalistic Art Nouveau ornamentation with the geometric discipline of Art Deco. Brandt's serpent motif — which appears in several of his documented works, including lamp bases, consoles, and fireplace accessories — became one of his most distinctive personal signatures. Andirons of this type were produced in his workshop during the 1920s and imitations of his style were made in the following decades. The serpent as a motif in French decorative arts carries a rich symbolic resonance, from the mythological serpent of antiquity to the serpent of Wisdom in Masonic and esoteric traditions that were popular among the cultured bourgeoisie of the Belle Époque and the Art Deco generation. Objects of rare formal energy and pronounced decorative character, these andirons would enrich any interior where the sculptural power of French ironwork at its peak is appreciated.