Pair of Neoclassical Chiseled Bronze Rearing Horse Andirons on Decorated Plinths

Each andiron of this distinguished pair presents a prancing horse modelled in chiseled bronze, the animal caught in a moment of energetic movement — forelegs raised, neck arched, tail streaming — that evokes the great tradition of equestrian sculpture from antiquity through the Renaissance and beyond. The horses are mounted on stepped rectangular plinths decorated with cast relief ornament, the moulded bases providing a formal, architectural counterpart to the animated equine figures above.

The chiseling of the bronze is executed to a high standard, the surface of each horse worked with small tools after casting to sharpen the detail of the musculature, mane, and harness. The warm golden patina developed over a century of use lends the pair a depth and richness that complements the sculptural ambition of the modelling. The andiron bars extend from behind each plinth, their dark iron providing a strong material contrast with the gilt bronze figures.

Bronze horse andirons in the neoclassical tradition were among the most prestigious commissions available to French foundries of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, produced for the finest bourgeois and aristocratic residences. The present pair, with its fine chiseled detail, well-preserved patina, and accomplished equine modelling, represents this tradition at a high level of quality.

Dimensions: W. 26.5 × D. 45 × H. 28.5 cm.