Skip to main content
Bonhams
Search

This auction has ended. View lot details

You may also be interested in

A Jacobite concealed portrait snuff box18th century
A 15th century carved limestone figure of St George

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

A Derby centrepieceCirca 1765
A pair of mid 16th century Italian patinated and parcel gilt bronze angel candlesticks Probably Tuscan and in the manner of Domenico Becafumi (1484-1551)
A Renaissance Florentine panel woven in silks and metal threadMid 15th century, probably for a Dalmatic garment
A 16th century tapestry fragment Formerly part of a larger tapestry in Gerona Cathedral
A set of three Holkham Pottery wine jugs Third quarter 20th century
An extremely rare early 17th century Dutch black, red and gilt japanned casketProbably attributable to Willem Kick (Dutch, 1579-1647)
A carved limestone bust of a kingProbably late 14th/early 15th century, and later
A rare and impressive Charles II leaded bronze 'York' mortar Made for Roger Warde, apothecary, and dated 1684, together with a large associated cast iron pestle
A collection of four commemorative glass bowls and plates including for the Coronation of King George VI Second quarter 20th century and earlier
A late 18th/early 19th century Italian relief carved and part stained wood oval profile portrait plaque depicting a classical warrior maiden, perhaps Minerva Possibly attributable to the workshop of Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo (Italian, 1745–1820)
Of Grand Tour interest: A collection of six trays of 19th century plaster intagliosProbably from the workshop of Pietro Paoletti (Rome, 1801-1847)
Francesco Righetti I (Italian, 1738-1819): A patinated bronze figure of the Apollo BelvedereAfter the antique, Roman, the cast dated 1787
After Pierre Lepautre (French, 1659-1744) and François Girardon (French, 1628-1714): A patinated bronze figural group of 'Aeneas carrying Anchises'French, probably first half early 19th century
A rare French gilt copper and champlevé enamel crozier finial depicting St Michael slaying the devil as a dragon Limoges, 1220-1230
A rare French gilt copper and champlevé enamel book or Evangeliary cover depicting the Crucifixion Limoges, circa 1190-1200
A white metal shell and dolphin salt given to Lady Glenconner by Princess Margaret
A French gilt copper and champleve enamel oval plaque of the angelLimoges, 19th century
A pair of mother of pearl, yellow metal and gem-set dishes given to Lady Glenconner by Imelda Marcos during a visit to the Philippines
An early 19th century satin-birch, 'mulberry wood', ebonised and mother of pearl vanity and sewing box
A French second half 19th century red stained tortoiseshell, cut brass inlaid and gilt metal mounted 'Boulle' casket Circa 1870
Sir Alfred Gilbert, M.V.O., R.A (British 1854-1934): a patinated bronze figure of 'An Offering to Hymen'
A silvered bronze cockatoo Early 20th century, probably Austrian
Previous Lot
Next Lot
A pair of gilt bronze figural four light candelabra cast by Claude-Francois Rabiat (French, 1756-1815) Circa 1810 (2) image 1
A pair of gilt bronze figural four light candelabra cast by Claude-Francois Rabiat (French, 1756-1815) Circa 1810 (2) image 2
A pair of gilt bronze figural four light candelabra cast by Claude-Francois Rabiat (French, 1756-1815) Circa 1810 (2) image 3
A pair of gilt bronze figural four light candelabra cast by Claude-Francois Rabiat (French, 1756-1815) Circa 1810 (2) image 4
Lot 85TP

A pair of gilt bronze figural four light candelabra cast by Claude-Francois Rabiat (French, 1756-1815)
Circa 1810

Fine Decorative Arts
1 July 2025, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £5,120 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Home and Interiors specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

A pair of gilt bronze figural four light candelabra cast by Claude-Francois Rabiat (French, 1756-1815)

Circa 1810
The upward scrolling candle arms with leafy cappings and serpent terminals below scale cast everted dished collars and plain cylindrical nozzles, the gently tapering central column stems with fruiting foliate cast flared upper sections surmounted by flambe finials, the stylised scale and lotus cast lower sections on tripartite low lions paw feet, each flanked to one side with a classical female figure, perhaps Pythia or priestesses, both clad in diaphanous drapery, one winged figure holding a flambe torch, the other wingless figure holding a spray of foliage, both raised on square plinths with applied twin putto and ribbon tied wreath mounts above moulded lappet cast integral bases, each signed Rabiat to the undersides of the bases,
64cm high, 26.5cm wide, 18cm deep overall (2)

Footnotes

Claude-François Rabiat was among the foremost bronziers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a master technician and supplier to the leading names of the French Empire decorative arts. Though he rarely signed his work, Rabiat's stamp appears discreetly on select pieces, such as a pair of wall lights delivered by Thomire et Duterme to the Château de Fontainebleau in 1810. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Rabiat did not work directly with private clients or state institutions such as the Garde-Meuble. Instead, he operated as a crucial intermediary craftsman, producing high-quality bronze elements—often of candelabra, clocks, and mounts—for the most celebrated bronziers of the time, including Thomire, Galle, Ravrio, and Feuchère.

Rabiat's designs, known by evocative titles like Venus caressed by love, The genius of the arts, or Renommée with trumpet, were typified by their classical themes and elegant restraint, aligning perfectly with the stylistic demands of the Napoleonic Empire. Many of these models existed in multiple variants, customized according to the preferences of his clients, making attribution of unsigned works a complex and often speculative exercise. His workshop, first recorded at 41 rue Beaubourg in the 1789 Almanach du Commerce, grew steadily to occupy the entire building. Upon his death in 1815, an inventory of the factory revealed a vast stock of bronzes and a rich archive of engravings, attesting to the breadth of production and the esteem in which he was held by fellow artisans.

It is possible that the offered candelabra are the same model mentioned in an inventory compiled shortly after Rabiat's death, described under the title 'figures of priestesses'. This inventory, drawn up in 1815 by the bronzier Feuchère and the merchant Coquille, catalogued the extensive holdings left in Rabiat's workshop. The presence of such a model in the posthumous stock list, combined with the stylistic characteristics and quality of the present pair, strongly suggests a connection to Rabiat's production at the height of the Empire period.

Related Literature
Marie-France Dupuy-Baylet, L'Heure, le feu, la lumière, les bronzes du Mobilier national 1800–1870, éd. Faton, 2010.
Denise Ledoux-Lebard, Rabiat, Fournisseur des bronziers et marchands de l'époque impériale, L'Estampille/L'Objet d'Art, No. 246, April 1991.
Hans Ottomeyer, Peter Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, Vol. II.
Denise Ledoux-Lebard, Le Grand Trianon, Paris, 1974.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

A Jacobite concealed portrait snuff box18th century
A 15th century carved limestone figure of St George
A Derby centrepieceCirca 1765
A pair of mid 16th century Italian patinated and parcel gilt bronze angel candlesticks Probably Tuscan and in the manner of Domenico Becafumi (1484-1551)
A Renaissance Florentine panel woven in silks and metal threadMid 15th century, probably for a Dalmatic garment
A 16th century tapestry fragment Formerly part of a larger tapestry in Gerona Cathedral
A set of three Holkham Pottery wine jugs Third quarter 20th century
An extremely rare early 17th century Dutch black, red and gilt japanned casketProbably attributable to Willem Kick (Dutch, 1579-1647)
A carved limestone bust of a kingProbably late 14th/early 15th century, and later
A rare and impressive Charles II leaded bronze 'York' mortar Made for Roger Warde, apothecary, and dated 1684, together with a large associated cast iron pestle
A collection of four commemorative glass bowls and plates including for the Coronation of King George VI Second quarter 20th century and earlier
A late 18th/early 19th century Italian relief carved and part stained wood oval profile portrait plaque depicting a classical warrior maiden, perhaps Minerva Possibly attributable to the workshop of Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo (Italian, 1745–1820)
Of Grand Tour interest: A collection of six trays of 19th century plaster intagliosProbably from the workshop of Pietro Paoletti (Rome, 1801-1847)
Francesco Righetti I (Italian, 1738-1819): A patinated bronze figure of the Apollo BelvedereAfter the antique, Roman, the cast dated 1787
After Pierre Lepautre (French, 1659-1744) and François Girardon (French, 1628-1714): A patinated bronze figural group of 'Aeneas carrying Anchises'French, probably first half early 19th century
A rare French gilt copper and champlevé enamel crozier finial depicting St Michael slaying the devil as a dragon Limoges, 1220-1230
A rare French gilt copper and champlevé enamel book or Evangeliary cover depicting the Crucifixion Limoges, circa 1190-1200
A white metal shell and dolphin salt given to Lady Glenconner by Princess Margaret
A French gilt copper and champleve enamel oval plaque of the angelLimoges, 19th century
A pair of mother of pearl, yellow metal and gem-set dishes given to Lady Glenconner by Imelda Marcos during a visit to the Philippines
An early 19th century satin-birch, 'mulberry wood', ebonised and mother of pearl vanity and sewing box
A French second half 19th century red stained tortoiseshell, cut brass inlaid and gilt metal mounted 'Boulle' casket Circa 1870
Sir Alfred Gilbert, M.V.O., R.A (British 1854-1934): a patinated bronze figure of 'An Offering to Hymen'
A silvered bronze cockatoo Early 20th century, probably Austrian