LOUIS XVI “CHANDELIER IN A HOT AIR BALLOON”
Référence :
Rare Louis XVI gilded metal chandelier (ca. 1785) with 6 lights surmounted by a balloon decorated with drapery.
Length : 17.72 in / 45 cm
Height : 34.65 in / 88 cm
Width : 17.72 in / 45 cm
Weigth : 26.46 lb / 12 kg
Artist: Unknown Rare Louis XVI 6-light gilded chandelier topped with a balloon decorated with draperies.
The “Montgolfières” chandeliers were only produced between 1783, the first flight of the hot air balloon, and 1789 when the French Revolution stopped this trend.
Formerly owned by the French collectors Mr. and Mrs. Korber in their historic gem, the Petit Hôtel Labottière in Bordeaux, this piece had probably hung in the house since 1786 when Etienne Labottière, a wealthy single bourgeois moved into his new home.
An emblem of the Age of Enlightenment in France, this refined chandelier evokes one of the greatest periods of scientific discovery in Europe.
This theme of the Balloon was also chosen by Karl Lagerfeld for the décor of his 2012 Biennale des Antiquaires at the Grand Palais in Paris and more recently by the organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Edition: Unique piece
