The present torchères constitute perhaps the purest expression of Rateau’s sculptural and elevated style as a lighting designer. Together, the pieces embody some of his most successful and celebrated elements associated with his work in bronze, in the form of beautifully sculpted birds perched on the base and a dramatic cascade of geese adorning the perimeter of the alabaster shade. Rateau’s modern reinterpretation of classical and Baroque themes instills in the present floor lamps a t.mes less and universal artistic appeal, making them masterpieces of animalier sculpture in and of themselves. His training as a sculptor and fondness for animal motifs are all brilliantly proclaimed here in the flawless execution of the stylized bird decorations, intricate decorative patterns and stunning overall construction.
The present torchère design was originally created for Jeanne Lanvin's residence at 16 rue Barbet-de-Jouy, Paris—certainly regarded as one of Rateau’s crowning achievements both as a decorator and a designer. For her bedroom, he created a pair of standing lamps bearing the same design as the present lots, which ultimately constituted one of the room’s focal points— together with another example of the exceedingly rare dressing table presented this season as part of the Perelman collects ion. An identical version of the standing lamp model was also shown on Jeanne Lanvin’s stand in the Pavillon de l’Élégance at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925.
Two variations of this model are known to exist: one with three rings of inverted foliage at the top of the central stem forming the base, the other with five rings of inverted foliage and an ivory butterfly key as the switch—a device also included on the present model. A pair of lamps of the former variant were included in an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 1926 featuring works by French artists.
The present pair originally comprised the collects ion of the prominent Guinle family from Rio de Janeiro. The family built a house in Praia de Botafojo in the Neoclassical French style, with its main bathroom designed by Armand-Albert Rateau which included yellow marble, mosaics and stucco relief sculptures. The lamps may have been used as part of the bathroom. The house was demolished in 1979 after being used as the Argentinean Embassy for over 30 years, but these spectacular works of functional sculpture have thankfully endured— an important test.mes nt to Rateau’s legacy as a designer and decorator of enduring relevance.
Two examples of the present model from the bedroom of Jeanne Lanvin, Paris, circa 1924-1925. The torchères are held in the collects ions of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
