Bronze And Gold: The Gilt Bronzes Of The Musée Nissim De Camondo

Created in 1936, the Musée Nissim de Camondo houses a rich collection of eighteenth-century objets d'art. Reflecting the donor's taste for this period of French art, the collection includes a large number of pieces of furniture and objects embellished with gilded bronze ornaments. Assembled with incredible foresight by Moïse de Camondo between 1890 and 1935, these gilded bronzes reflect the evolution of styles during the eighteenth century, from the fantasies of rocaille to the severity of the return to the antique model and the delicacy of the Louis XVI style.

This catalogue presents a selection of thirty furniture bronzes, signed Osmond and attributed to Jean-Louis Prieur, François Rémond and Jean-Noël Turpin, which bear witness to the skills of Parisian chaser-gilders in the second half of the 18th century, as well as to their collaboration with other craftsmen - draughtsmen, sculptors, founders, goldsmiths and watchmakers. An introductory essay recounts Moïse de Camondo's passion for gilded bronze, followed by an account of Camondo's career as a collector, his purchases and his tastes, before focusing on mounted objects from the Far East. Each of the thirty bronzes on display is the subject of an in-depth commentary.