Chariot Scene

The French bronzeworker Pierre-Phillipe Thomire trained as a sculptor with the celebrated artists Augustin Pajou and Jean-Antoine Houdon. Thomire became a specialist in ornamental bronze work. This Neoclassical chariot scene was inspired by Greek and Roman antiquities. The wax model was made in preparation for a gilt bronze mount to decorate furniture. It is rare for such a wax model to survive, and even more so for it to be signed by the designer (lower right corner).