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Émile Guillemin Lighting

French, 1841-1907

Émile Guillemin was a celebrated 19th-century French sculptor whose Victorian-era masterpieces showed a deep love and appreciation for Asian and Middle Eastern cultures. He worked with the esteemed Barbedienne Foundry to create bronze figurative sculptures of exquisite detail. He also made statuesque bronze floor lamps and glinting silver centerpieces that retain their luster and charm to this day.

Guillemin was born in Paris in 1841. His father was sculptor Auguste Guillemin, who worked for aristocrats producing copies of ancient busts. Guillemin studied under his father and under sculptor Jean-Jules Salmson. He first exhibited his work at the Paris Salon of 1870 with two statues of Roman gladiators and continued showing his work at Paris Salons over the next three decades.

Although Guillemin was a prolific sculptor with a wide-ranging repertoire, he is most known for his Orientalist-style pieces, a term denoting the exoticization of Asian and Middle Eastern art in the West. What made Guillemin's work stand out was the great sensitivity and care he put into depicting his subjects in an accurate manner. From Japanese courtesans to Indian falconers, his subjects don accurate re-creations of the clothing, hairstyles and accouterments of their cultures.

Today, Guillemin's pieces remain in high demand. In 2008, a pair of busts he crafted in 1884, called Femme Kabyle d'Algerie and Janissaire du Sultan Mahmoud II, sold at auction for more than $1 million. 

On 1stDibs, find Émile Guillemin sculptures, lighting and tableware.

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Creator: Émile Guillemin
Pair of Large Patinated Bronze Figural Torcheres Cast by Barbedienne, Dated 1872
By Ferdinand Barbedienne, Émile Guillemin
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A highly important pair of large patinated bronze figural torcheres by Émile Guillemin, cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne. French, dated 1872. Barbedienne Title: 'Deux Femmes, Indi...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Émile Guillemin Lighting

Materials

Bronze

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Émile Guillemin lighting for sale on 1stDibs.

Émile Guillemin lighting are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Émile Guillemin lighting, although gold editions of this piece are particularly popular. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider lighting by and Gagneau Paris. Prices for Émile Guillemin lighting can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $55,746 and can go as high as $322,089, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $188,918.

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