Emile Colin Rocaille" chandelier, by E. Colin...

Emile Colin Rocaille" chandelier, by E. Colin & Cie, France, Circa 1890 Signed E. Colin & Cie Paris France Circa 1890 Gilt bronze with patina Height: 110 cm; Diameter: 72 cm A beautiful "rocaille" chandelier in chased and gilded bronze with nine arms. It features a baluster shaft adorned with a patinated bronze sphere with twisted flutes, surrounded by three uprights richly embellished with acanthus leaf scrolls. This chandelier was most probably created by the sculptor and ornamentalist Léon Messagé (1842-1901), who favored rocaille asymmetry in his ornamental designs, as seen in the collections of ornamentalists by Nicolas Pineau or J. A. Meissonnier, in the first half of the 18th century. He did, however, display originality, even extravagance, as shown by some of the drawings in his "Cahier des Dessins et Croquis style Louis XV". He worked with a large number of drawings on gray paper, before moving on to the execution of a reduced or life-size model in relief, wax or terracotta. From 1885 onwards, Léon Messagé worked with two leading Parisian cabinetmakers: Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener (1849 - active until 1895) and François Linke (1855-1946), as well as bronzemaker E. Colin (?-1900). Biography: Emile Colin, a famous foundryman established since 1843 at no. 29, rue de Sévigné in Paris, produced bronzes from 1855 onwards for the greatest masters of French sculpture, such as A.E. Carrier-Belleuse (Le Zouave), J. Pradier (Les Trois Grâces, Vénus consolant l'Amour) or J.B. Carpeaux from 1875 onwards (L'Enfant au cor), and the Parisian goldsmith Christofle. He marks his bronzes with the words "E. Colin & Cie" from 1882 to 1898. The brand evolved to become "M. Colin & Cie" from 1898 to 1906, then "Ancienne Maison Colin, Jollet & Cie" from 1906 to 1923. Internationally renowned, Emile Colin sent bronze works to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, including mounted marble vases and a large bronze clock. At the end of the 19th century, Colin was one of the world's leading bronzemakers, alongside Barbedienne, Susse and Siot-Decauville. When Emile Colin died in 1900, his old models were sold to Doistal, on Avenue Daumesnil in Paris, a company that has since disappeared. The Colin firm was once again honored at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, with stylish lighting fixtures modeled by Léon Messagé.