Henri HOUDEBINE, circa 1880 - Lot 121

Henri HOUDEBINE, circa 1880 Louis XVI-style mantelpiece set, comprising a pair of chiseled and gilded bronze candelabra with nine light arms and a central arm, decorated with sphinxes, and a red marble pendulum base centered with a lion’s muzzle, the dial signed 'HOUDEBINE/A PARIS' H. 90 cm (the candelabra) H. 33 W. 45 cm (the base) Henri Houdebine was a 19th-century bronze artist. He is renowned for his works, which reflect the era’s taste for the revival of ancient styles. Established in Paris since 1845, the Houdebine firm participated in most of the World’s Fairs of the second half of the 19th century. It received numerous awards: the gold medal in 1876 (Exhibition of the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs) and 1878 (World’s Fair), a special medal in 1880 (UCAD Exhibition), and a diploma of honor in 1883 (Amsterdam International Exhibition), the year in which Henri Houdebine was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor. A member of the UCAD Society, he was once again noted for the beauty of his candelabras at the 1889 World’s Fair.