Pair of Brass and Wrought Iron Chenets with Scroll Columns and Arched Bases

This pair of brass and wrought iron andirons illustrates the distinctive aesthetic that Raymond Subes — the most famous French metalworker of the 20th century — brought to the design of home furnishings during the Art Deco and proto-modernist periods. The defining element of each piece is its remarkable upright: a shaft composed of a vertical series of identical decorative elements, each formed of paired scrolls or heart motifs that interlock to create a continuous decorative column of great rhythmic energy and remarkable visual complexity. This device of stacking repeated ornamental units to create a composed vertical accent is a hallmark of Subes' approach, visible throughout the breadth of his work, from architectural grilles to furniture fittings. The individual elements have a leafy and organic quality — halfway between a leafy capital and a stylised heart motif — that undeniably belongs to the idiom of French Art Deco metalwork in its most inventive form. The material combination of brass and blackened wrought iron creates a subtle bichrome effect of golden warmth against the dark metal that enhances the sculptural complexity of the overall silhouette. The base of each andiron is resolved with equal assurance: a semi-circular arched arm extends from the foot of the upright, its sharp arc providing a decisive formal contrast to the decorative exuberance of the column above. This arched base brings the piece closer to the tradition of Gothic and Renaissance metalwork, in which the arched form constituted a characteristic basic configuration. The two andirons are connected by a central linking bar, completing the functional ensemble of the hearth. At 42 cm in height, these andirons are perfectly suited for a medium to large fireplace, and their extraordinary formal richness makes them just as striking as decorative objects.