Pair of chiselled and gilded bronze andirons after a model by Jacques Caffieri, Paris 19th century.

A pair of chiselled and gilded bronze andirons after a model by Jacques Caffieri representing the allegory of the arts in a rococo spirit. Three other castings of this model are known: two similar examples, where the putti are in patinated bronze, were in the collections of the French and Co gallery in New York between 1929 and 1960 for one pair and around 1946 for the other. The third pair differs only in the attributes of the children. They were part of the Patiño collection of Ortiz Linarès, sold at Sotheby's Monte Carlo on 8 February 1981, lot 224, and then from the Partridge Gallery in London in 1988. Similar putti can be found on a pair of Louis XV wall sconces, sold on 12 June 1973, lot 55, Ader Palais Galliera Paris, as well as on a number of Louis XVI andirons; a pair of this model belongs to the Wallace Collection in London (F279-280). Height of a putto 21 cm.