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Standing firmly on their four paws, with piercing eyes and mouths half-open as if about to roar, this pair of karashishi is unexpectedly adorned with delicate flowering branches. The severity of their stance is softened by the graceful sweep of the gilt-bronze candle arms, while the hard-paste Japanese porcelain is complemented by the soft-paste porcelain flowers of Villeroy. The ensemble is a remarkable synthesis of traditional East Asian symbolism and the decorative virtuosity of France during the reign of Louis XV.
Karashishi: Prestigious Guardian Figures
Half lion and half dog, the karashishi are the traditional guardians of sacred places in Japan, standing at the entrances of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Derived from earlier Chinese guardian lions, they were believed to ward off evil spirits. According to tradition, the figure with its mouth open represents the male, while its companion is the female. Among the principal mythical creatures of Japanese artistic tradition—including the dragon (ryū), the kirin (Japanese unicorn), and the long-tailed turtle (minogame)—the Buddhist lion, or shishi, appears in numerous forms, sometimes even taking on tiger-like characteristics.
Decorated with turquoise, blue, yellow and iron-red enamels on a white ground, these porcelain figures are characteristic of the Japanese Kakiemon style. Originally named after the family responsible for introducing overglaze enamelling techniques at Arita during the 1640s, the Kakiemon style was widely exported and became one of the most admired and frequently imitated Japanese porcelains in eighteenth-century Europe.
Produced in the Arita region in the early eighteenth century, these hard-paste porcelain karashishi would have travelled first to the port of Imari before being shipped to Deshima, the artificial island at Nagasaki reserved for Dutch merchants and, for much of the Edo period, the only point of European access to Japan. From there they were transported aboard ships of the Dutch East India Company to Batavia (present-day Jakarta), the Company's principal Asian trading hub, before continuing their journey to Europe. Once they reached the Dutch Republic, where Japanese porcelains were distributed throughout the continent, these two karashishi eventually found their way to France—and almost certainly to Paris, the unrivalled centre of the European luxury trades during the eighteenth century.
Without their gilt-bronze mounts, they closely resemble a number of comparable early eighteenth-century karashishi, including a pair in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, another at Drayton House, Northamptonshire, and several examples sold at Christie's: London, 15 September 2010, lot 517; London, 7 November 2012, lot 389; Paris, 1 December 2016, lot 296; and, most recently, Paris, 10 December 2025, lot 123.
The present pair, however, stands apart from all known comparables. Unlike the majority of surviving examples, which are generally smaller and decorated only in blue and yellow enamels, these imposing figures stand nearly fifty centimetres high and display a far richer palette of colours, combining blue, yellow, green, turquoise and iron-red. Their exceptional rarity is enhanced above all by their magnificent gilt-bronze mounts, which transform these Japanese porcelains into luxurious examples of French objets montés of the Louis XV period.
The Union of Exoticism and the Art of Gilt Bronze under Louis XV: The Essential Role of the Marchands-Merciers
Throughout the reign of Louis XV, the fascination with the arts of East Asia was accompanied by an equally inventive process of adaptation. Japanese lacquer panels were cut down and incorporated into French furniture, while Oriental porcelains were transformed into luxurious objets montés through the addition of finely chased gilt-bronze mounts. At the heart of this creative process stood the marchands-merciers, who acted as indispensable intermediaries between porcelain importers, bronze founders, cabinet-makers and an elite clientele eager for the most fashionable and luxurious creations.
Among the closest surviving parallels to the present pair are two pairs of karashishi preserved in the Residenzmuseum, Munich, likewise mounted as three-light candelabra. One is fashioned from turquoise-glazed Chinese porcelain, while the other is mounted with Imari porcelain remarkably close to the present figures (inv. K.v.C. 238). Such is the importance of the Munich example that it was chosen to illustrate the cover of John Ayers' seminal publication Porcelain for Palaces (J. Ayers et al., Porcelain for Palaces, London, 1990). The present pair, however, is even more spectacular, distinguished by a considerably richer enamel palette, an elegant pierced gilt-bronze base, and the addition of porcelain flowers.
Another closely comparable pair of Japanese porcelain karashishi mounted as three-light candelabra, illustrated in S. Castelluccio, Le goût pour les porcelaines de Chine et du Japon à Paris aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles (Saint-Rémy-en-l'Eau, 2013, p. 108), is now in a private collection. Although mounted on an impressive openwork gilt-bronze base, its uniformly decorated porcelain lacks the richness and brilliance of the present Imari figures.
The enthusiasm for richly enamelled Asian porcelains—known in eighteenth-century France as porcelaines coloriées—continued unabated throughout the century, ensuring an enduring role for the marchands-merciers. Thus, in the sale of Claude-François Julliot held in Paris on 20 November 1777, one finds listed: "Deux lions, ou chimères, mouchetés de jaune & verd, leur gueule, crinières, oreilles de couleur bleu céleste foncé; placés sur socle quarré long à panneaux d'entrelacs à jour & à quatre boules de bronze doré..." This same pair reappeared in the sale of the Comte de Merle on 1 March 1784. More than thirty years after the creation of the present candelabra, the celebrated marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre commissioned the renowned bronzier François Rémond to mount a pair of enamelled Chinese lions as candlesticks. One of these was sold at Sotheby's, Paris, 28 November 2016, lot 276. Compared with these later Louis XVI examples—and indeed with most eighteenth-century mounted karashishi—the present pair possesses an additional refinement for which the marchands-merciers once again played a decisive role: its exquisite Villeroy porcelain flowers.
Executed in soft-paste porcelain, these applied flowers (pastillage) rank among the earliest porcelain flowers produced in France. Porcelain flowers were first created in China during the early Ming dynasty as ornamental embellishments for vases, before appearing in Japan between about 1690 and 1710. Founded in 1734 under the patronage of the Duc de Villeroy, the Villeroy manufactory was among the earliest porcelain manufactories established in France and, even before Vincennes, became one of the first to reproduce these delicate floral ornaments. Predominantly white and subtly heightened with touches of colour at the tips of the petals, the flowers adorning the present candelabra closely imitate their Japanese prototypes. Like the originals, they are intentionally stylised rather than representing any identifiable botanical species.
These porcelain flowers and the Kakiemon decoration of the karashishi share a particularly appealing coherence: both derive from Japanese models that were first successfully reinterpreted in France by the manufactories of Villeroy, Chantilly and Saint-Cloud. The present candelabra therefore unite an authentic work of Japanese porcelain with one of its earliest French reinterpretations. With remarkable imagination, they exemplify the extraordinary ability of eighteenth-century French decorative arts to transform the exotic into something entirely new. Once guardians of Japanese temples, these karashishi were reimagined through the genius of the marchands-merciers to become one of the most accomplished expressions of French taste under Louis XV.
Firmly poised on their four legs, with piercing eyes and mouths slightly open as if ready to roar, this pair of karashishi is delicately adorned with flowering branches. The severity of their stance is softened by the graceful sinuosity of their candle arms, while the hard-paste porcelain of Japan is complemented by the soft-paste porcelain of Villeroy: this remarkable work represents a sophisticated synthesis of traditional Asian symbolism and the decorative virtuosity of France under Louis XV.
Karashishi: Prestigious Protective Guardians
Halfway between lion and dog, the karashishi are the guardians of sacred places in Japan and are frequently found at the entrance of shrines and Buddhist temples. Derived from Chinese mythical creatures, they were believed to ward off malevolent spirits. According to tradition, the figure with the open mouth on this pair is male, while the other is female. Among the five principal creatures of the Japanese artistic tradition—including the dragon (ryu), the unicorn (kirin) and the turtle (minogame) - the Buddhist lion known as shishi appears in numerous forms, sometimes even assuming the characteristics of a tiger.
Speckled with turquoise, blue, yellow and red enamels on a white ground, these two porcelain figures embody the Japanese Kakiemon style. Originally taking its name from the family that introduced overglaze enamelling techniques at Arita during the 1640s, this style was widely exported and eagerly imitated by European manufactories throughout the eighteenth century. Created in the early eighteenth century in the Arita region, these hard-paste porcelain karashishi were transported to the port of Imari and subsequently shipped to Deshima, the artificial island at Nagasaki reserved for Dutch merchants, the only Japanese port open to Europeans during most of the Edo period. From there, they travelled aboard vessels of the Dutch East India Company to Batavia (present-day Jakarta), the Company's principal Asian trading hub, before being dispatched to Europe. Upon reaching the Dutch Republic, while Asian porcelain was distributed throughout Europe, these two karashishi eventually found their way to France, and most likely to Paris, the leading centre of decorative arts production in the eighteenth century.
Without their gilt-bronze mounts, they can be compared to several karashishi from the same period, including a pair in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, another at Drayton House in England, and examples sold at Christie’s: a figure in London on 15 September 2010, lot 517; a pair in London on 7 November 2012, lot 389; a pair in Paris on 1 December 2016, lot 296; and another pair more recently in Paris on 10 December 2025, lot 123.
The present pair, however, stands apart from all known comparables through its rarity. Unlike most examples, which are generally smaller and decorated only in yellow and blue, these figures measure nearly fifty centimetres in height and display a far richer palette, incorporating blue, yellow, green, turquoise and red. Yet what makes this pair particularly rare and desirable is its exceptional ormolu mounts.
The Union of Exoticism and the Art of Ormolu under Louis XV: the Essential Role of the Marchands-Merciers
Asian exoticism exerted a profound fascination during the reign of Louis XV, while simultaneously undergoing a process of reinterpretation. Lacquer panels were cut and incorporated into French furniture, and porcelain was frequently embellished with ormolu mounts. The marchands-merciers played a central role in this process, acting as intermediaries between porcelain dealers, bronziers, cabinet-makers and the clients who commissioned such works.
Particularly related to the present pair are two pairs of karashishi preserved in the Residenz, Munich (fig. 1), likewise mounted as three-light candelabra. While one pair is composed of turquoise Chinese porcelain, the other is made of Imari porcelain remarkably similar to the present examples (inv. K.V.C. 238). Although the splendour of the Munich pair earned it a place on the cover of John Ayers' Porcelain for Palaces (J. Ayers et al., Porcelain for Palaces, London, 1990), it remains less remarkable than the present pair, whose richer palette, pierced base and porcelain flowers greatly enhance its decorative effect.
Another comparable pair of Japanese porcelain karashishi mounted as three-light candelabra is illustrated in S. Castelluccio, Le goût pour les porcelaines de Chine et du Japon à Paris aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, Saint-Rémy-en-l’Eau, 2013, p. 108, and is today in a private collection. Although supported by a magnificent pierced gilt-bronze base, its monochrome porcelain decoration cannot rival the vibrant Imari palette of the present examples.
The taste for enamelled Asian porcelain, often referred to as "coloured porcelain", continued throughout the eighteenth century, securing an essential role for the marchands-merciers for decades. On 20 November 1777, for example, the Paris sale of Claude-François Julliot included: "Two lions, or chimeras, speckled in yellow and green, their mouths, manes and ears in a deep celestial blue colour; set upon an oblong square base with pierced interlaced panels and four ormolu ball feet; height 7 pouces 4 lignes." The same pair reappeared on 1 March 1784 in the sale of the Comte de Merle. Moreover, more than thirty years after the creation of the present candelabra, the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre commissioned a pair of enamelled Chinese lions mounted in ormolu as candlesticks by the celebrated bronzier François Rémond. One of these candlesticks was sold at Sotheby’s Paris on 28 November 2016, lot 276.
Among these comparable works of art from the Louis XVI period - and indeed among the rare eighteenth-century karashishi mounted in ormolu —the present pair is distinguished by a feature in which the marchands-merciers again played a crucial role: its delicate Villeroy porcelain flowers.
Executed in soft-paste porcelain, these flowers are among the earliest examples produced in France. Porcelain flowers were originally created in China as early as the beginning of the Ming dynasty for the embellishment of vases, and later in Japan between 1690 and 1710. The Villeroy manufactory was established between 1734 and 1737 under the patronage of the Duc de Villeroy and was among the earliest French porcelain factories, predating even Vincennes and Chantilly in reproducing such flowers and was a key instigator of this production. Predominantly white and heightened with subtle touches of colour at the tips, the petals on the present candelabra closely imitate their Japanese counterparts. Like them, they are broadly generic and do not correspond to any specific botanical species. It was through his passionate collecting of these porcelain flowers and other Japanese porcelains, as well as their Villeroy imitations, that Louis-Henri de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, conceived the ambition of establishing a porcelain manufactory at Chantilly capable of reproducing them. His posthumous inventory records several comparable mounted Japanese porcelain lions, including “a pair of five-light gilt-bronze girandoles supported by blue and brown porcelain lions standing on their porcelain bases mounted with gilt-bronze, the whole valued together at two hundred livres.” By virtue of the exceptional rarity of its Japanese porcelain, its decoration, and its porcelain flowers, the present pair is even rarer than the example owned by the Prince de Condé.
These porcelain flowers and the Kakiemon style of the karashishi share a striking coherence: both derive from Japanese decorative forms first extensively reproduced in France by the manufactories of Villeroy, Chantilly and Saint-Cloud. This pair of candelabra therefore combines an original work of Japanese porcelain with one of its earliest Western reinterpretations. With remarkable innovation, it embodies the ability of French decorative arts to reimagine the Orient: transformed from guardians of Japanese temples, these karashishi became, through the genius of the marchands-merciers, one of the most accomplished expressions of eighteenth-century French taste.
Fermement dressés sur leurs quatre pattes, le regard foudroyant et la gueule entrouverte prête à rugir, ce couple de Karashishi se retrouve délicatement paré de branchages fleuris. À la sévérité de leur posture s’oppose la douce sinuosité de leurs bras de lumière et à la porcelaine dure du Japon celle tendre de Villeroy : cette œuvre est un merveilleux syncrétisme entre la symbolique traditionnelle asiatique et la virtuosité décorative française sous le règne de Louis XV.
Les Karashishi, des gardiens protecteurs de prestige
À mi-chemin entre le lion et le chien, les karashishi sont au Japon les gardiens des lieux sacrés ; on les retrouve fréquemment à l’entrée des sanctuaires et des temples bouddhistes. Ils sont dérivés de créatures chinoises et sont réputés pouvoir chasser les esprits malveillants. Selon la tradition, celui qui a la gueule entrouverte sur cette paire est un mâle et l’autre une femelle. Parmi les cinq principales créatures de la tradition artistique japonaise, comprenant le dragon (ryu), la licorne (kirin), ou encore la tortue (minogame), le lion bouddhiste appelé shishi peut prendre de multiples variantes, jusqu’à celle du tigre.
Mouchetés de points turquoise, bleus, jaunes et rouges sur fond blanc, ces deux figures de porcelaine incarnent le style japonais kakiémon. Portant originellement le nom de la famille qui a introduit les techniques d’émaux sur couverte à Arita dans les années 1640, ce style est largement exporté et copié par les manufactures européennes au XVIIIe siècle. Lorsque ces karashishi en porcelaine dure sont créés au début du XVIIIe siècle dans la région d’Arita, ils sont acheminés vers le port d’Imari, puis expédiés à Deshima, un îlot artificiel réservé aux Hollandais à Nagasaki, seul port japonais ouvert aux Européens pendant la majeure partie de la période Edo. Ils sont ensuite acheminés par les navires hollandais de la Compagnie néerlandaise des Indes orientales jusqu’à Batavia (aujourd’hui Jakarta), principal centre logistique asiatique de la compagnie, avant leur départ pour l'Europe. Lorsqu’ils arrivent aux Provinces Unies, alors que toutes les autres porcelaines sont diffusées dans toute l’Europe, ces deux karashishi gagnent la France, et probablement Paris, centre d’excellence de la production des arts décoratifs au XVIIIe siècle.
Sans leur monture de bronze, ils ressemblent à plusieurs karashishi de la même période, tels qu’une paire à l'Ashmolean Museum à Oxford, une autre à Drayton House en Angleterre, et certains vendus chez Christie’s : l’un à Londres le 15 septembre 2010, lot 517, une paire le 7 novembre 2012, lot 389, une paire à Paris le 1er décembre 2016, lot 296, et une autre très récemment à Paris le 10 décembre 2025, lot 123.
Mais notre paire de Karashishi se distingue de tous ses comparables par sa rareté. À la différence des autres, généralement plus petits et uniquement jaunes et bleus, ils mesurent près de cinquante centimètres et présentent une variété de couleurs plus riche : bleu, jaune, vert, mais aussi turquoise et rouge. Mais ce qui rend surtout cette paire de karashishi particulièrement rare et précieuse, c’est leur exceptionnelle monture de bronze doré.
L'alliance de l'exotisme et de l'art du bronze sous le règne de Louis XV : l'intervention essentielle des marchands-merciers
L’exotisme asiatique sous le règne de Louis XV fait l’objet d’une fascination, mais aussi d’une certaine appropriation : les panneaux de laque sont découpés et plaqués sur des meubles français tandis que les porcelaines sont régulièrement montées de bronze. Les marchands-merciers occupent un rôle essentiel dans cet assemblage en tant qu’intermédiaires entre les commerçants de porcelaine, les ateliers de bronze ou d’ébénisterie, mais aussi la clientèle qui leur adresse des commandes.
Particulièrement proches de notre paire, deux couples de Karashishi sont conservés au Residenzmuseum de Munich (fig. 1), également montés en candélabres à trois lumières. Si l’un est en porcelaine de Chine turquoise, l’autre est en porcelaine Imari remarquablement similaire au nôtre (k.v.c 238). Si la majesté de cette œuvre du Residenzmuseum lui vaut d’être l’illustration de couverture de l’ouvrage de John Ayers, Porcelain for Palaces, (J. Ayers et al., Porcelain for Palaces, London 1990), elle demeure moins remarquable que notre paire, qui présente une palette de couleurs beaucoup plus riche, une base ajourée ainsi que des fleurs de porcelaine.
Il existe une autre paire de Karashishi en porcelaine du Japon montée en candélabres à trois lumières comparable à la nôtre, illustrée dans S. Castellucio, Le goût pour les porcelaines de Chine et du Japon à Paris aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, Saint-Rémy-en-l’Eau 2013, p. 108, aujourd’hui conservée dans une collection particulière. Bien qu’elle repose sur une majestueuse base ajourée entièrement en bronze doré, sa porcelaine uniforme n’égale pas le décor Imari des nôtres.
Le goût des porcelaines émaillées asiatiques, aussi appelées "porcelaines coloriées" continue de se poursuivre tout le long du siècle, assurant une place essentielle aux marchands-merciers pendant des décennies. Bien que les mentions de chiens-lions chinois de porcelaine turquoise et violette soient courantes dans les ventes du XVIIIe siècle, celles des lions de type Karashishi sont rares. Le 20 novembre 1777, une vente de Claude-François Julliot à Paris mentionne "Deux lions, ou chimères, mouchetés de jaune & verd, leur gueule, crinières, oreilles de couleur bleu céleste foncé ; placés sur socle quarré long à panneaux d’entrelacs à jour & à quatre boules de bronze doré ; hauteur 7 pouces 4 lignes". Cette paire réapparaît ensuite le 1er mars 1784 dans la vente du collectionneur M. le comte de Merle. Par ailleurs, plus de trente ans après la création de notre paire de candélabres, le marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre fait exécuter une paire de lions chinois émaillés montés de bronze doré en flambeaux par le célèbre bronzier François Rémond. L’un de ces flambeaux a été vendu chez Sotheby’s à Paris le 28 novembre 2016, lot 276. De ces derniers comparables d’époque Louis XVI, et plus généralement parmi les rares Karashishi montés de bronze au XVIIIe siècle, notre paire se distingue par un élément pour lequel les marchands-merciers jouent encore un rôle crucial : ses délicates fleurs en porcelaine de Villeroy.
En pâte tendre, ces fleurs "en pastillages" sont parmi les premières réalisées en France. Originellement, les fleurs de porcelaine sont créées en Chine dès le début de la dynastie Ming, pour des ornements de vases, puis au Japon, entre 1690 et 1710. Fondée entre 1734 et 1737 sous la protection du duc de Villeroy, la manufacture de Villeroy est l’une des premières manufactures en France, avant même Vincennes et Chantilly, à reproduire ces fleurs et est une véritable instigatrice de cette production. Essentiellement blanches et soulignées de légères touches de couleurs aux extrémités, les pétales de cette paire de candélabres imitent précisément les fleurs japonaises. Comme ces dernières, elles sont assez comparables les unes aux autres, ne correspondant à aucune variété florale particulière. C'est en collectionnant avec passion ces fleurs et autres porcelaines du Japon, mais aussi ses imitations de Villeroy, que Louis-Henri de Bourbon, prince de Condé, éprouve le désir de fonder à Chantilly une manufacture de porcelaine qui puisse les reproduire. Dans son inventaire après-décès, sont cités quelques lions en porcelaine du Japon montés comparables, tels qu' "une paire de girandolles à cinq branches de bronze soutenues par des Lyons de porcelaine bleue et brune sur leurs pieds aussi de porcelaine garnis de bronze, le tout doré d'or moulu prisés ensemble deux cent livres". Par la rareté de sa porcelaine du Japon, de son décor et de ses fleurs de porcelaine, notre paire demeure encore plus rare que celle du Prince de Condé.
Ces fleurs de porcelaine et le style kakiémon de ces karashishi partagent une cohérence amusante : tous deux sont des décors japonais abondamment reproduits pour la première fois en France par les manufactures de Villeroy, Chantilly et Saint-Cloud. Cette paire de candélabres aux karashishi intègre ainsi à la fois une œuvre originale de porcelaine du Japon et une de ses reproductions occidentales. Cette œuvre incarne avec une rare inventivité la capacité des arts décoratifs français à réimaginer l’Orient : de gardiens de temples japonais, ces karashishi deviennent, grâce au génie des marchands-merciers, l’un des manifestes les plus accomplis du goût français du XVIIIe siècle.
Karashishi: Prestigious Guardian Figures
Half lion and half dog, the karashishi are the traditional guardians of sacred places in Japan, standing at the entrances of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Derived from earlier Chinese guardian lions, they were believed to ward off evil spirits. According to tradition, the figure with its mouth open represents the male, while its companion is the female. Among the principal mythical creatures of Japanese artistic tradition—including the dragon (ryū), the kirin (Japanese unicorn), and the long-tailed turtle (minogame)—the Buddhist lion, or shishi, appears in numerous forms, sometimes even taking on tiger-like characteristics.
Decorated with turquoise, blue, yellow and iron-red enamels on a white ground, these porcelain figures are characteristic of the Japanese Kakiemon style. Originally named after the family responsible for introducing overglaze enamelling techniques at Arita during the 1640s, the Kakiemon style was widely exported and became one of the most admired and frequently imitated Japanese porcelains in eighteenth-century Europe.
Produced in the Arita region in the early eighteenth century, these hard-paste porcelain karashishi would have travelled first to the port of Imari before being shipped to Deshima, the artificial island at Nagasaki reserved for Dutch merchants and, for much of the Edo period, the only point of European access to Japan. From there they were transported aboard ships of the Dutch East India Company to Batavia (present-day Jakarta), the Company's principal Asian trading hub, before continuing their journey to Europe. Once they reached the Dutch Republic, where Japanese porcelains were distributed throughout the continent, these two karashishi eventually found their way to France—and almost certainly to Paris, the unrivalled centre of the European luxury trades during the eighteenth century.
Without their gilt-bronze mounts, they closely resemble a number of comparable early eighteenth-century karashishi, including a pair in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, another at Drayton House, Northamptonshire, and several examples sold at Christie's: London, 15 September 2010, lot 517; London, 7 November 2012, lot 389; Paris, 1 December 2016, lot 296; and, most recently, Paris, 10 December 2025, lot 123.
The present pair, however, stands apart from all known comparables. Unlike the majority of surviving examples, which are generally smaller and decorated only in blue and yellow enamels, these imposing figures stand nearly fifty centimetres high and display a far richer palette of colours, combining blue, yellow, green, turquoise and iron-red. Their exceptional rarity is enhanced above all by their magnificent gilt-bronze mounts, which transform these Japanese porcelains into luxurious examples of French objets montés of the Louis XV period.
The Union of Exoticism and the Art of Gilt Bronze under Louis XV: The Essential Role of the Marchands-Merciers
Throughout the reign of Louis XV, the fascination with the arts of East Asia was accompanied by an equally inventive process of adaptation. Japanese lacquer panels were cut down and incorporated into French furniture, while Oriental porcelains were transformed into luxurious objets montés through the addition of finely chased gilt-bronze mounts. At the heart of this creative process stood the marchands-merciers, who acted as indispensable intermediaries between porcelain importers, bronze founders, cabinet-makers and an elite clientele eager for the most fashionable and luxurious creations.
Among the closest surviving parallels to the present pair are two pairs of karashishi preserved in the Residenzmuseum, Munich, likewise mounted as three-light candelabra. One is fashioned from turquoise-glazed Chinese porcelain, while the other is mounted with Imari porcelain remarkably close to the present figures (inv. K.v.C. 238). Such is the importance of the Munich example that it was chosen to illustrate the cover of John Ayers' seminal publication Porcelain for Palaces (J. Ayers et al., Porcelain for Palaces, London, 1990). The present pair, however, is even more spectacular, distinguished by a considerably richer enamel palette, an elegant pierced gilt-bronze base, and the addition of porcelain flowers.
Another closely comparable pair of Japanese porcelain karashishi mounted as three-light candelabra, illustrated in S. Castelluccio, Le goût pour les porcelaines de Chine et du Japon à Paris aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles (Saint-Rémy-en-l'Eau, 2013, p. 108), is now in a private collection. Although mounted on an impressive openwork gilt-bronze base, its uniformly decorated porcelain lacks the richness and brilliance of the present Imari figures.
The enthusiasm for richly enamelled Asian porcelains—known in eighteenth-century France as porcelaines coloriées—continued unabated throughout the century, ensuring an enduring role for the marchands-merciers. Thus, in the sale of Claude-François Julliot held in Paris on 20 November 1777, one finds listed: "Deux lions, ou chimères, mouchetés de jaune & verd, leur gueule, crinières, oreilles de couleur bleu céleste foncé; placés sur socle quarré long à panneaux d'entrelacs à jour & à quatre boules de bronze doré..." This same pair reappeared in the sale of the Comte de Merle on 1 March 1784. More than thirty years after the creation of the present candelabra, the celebrated marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre commissioned the renowned bronzier François Rémond to mount a pair of enamelled Chinese lions as candlesticks. One of these was sold at Sotheby's, Paris, 28 November 2016, lot 276. Compared with these later Louis XVI examples—and indeed with most eighteenth-century mounted karashishi—the present pair possesses an additional refinement for which the marchands-merciers once again played a decisive role: its exquisite Villeroy porcelain flowers.
Executed in soft-paste porcelain, these applied flowers (pastillage) rank among the earliest porcelain flowers produced in France. Porcelain flowers were first created in China during the early Ming dynasty as ornamental embellishments for vases, before appearing in Japan between about 1690 and 1710. Founded in 1734 under the patronage of the Duc de Villeroy, the Villeroy manufactory was among the earliest porcelain manufactories established in France and, even before Vincennes, became one of the first to reproduce these delicate floral ornaments. Predominantly white and subtly heightened with touches of colour at the tips of the petals, the flowers adorning the present candelabra closely imitate their Japanese prototypes. Like the originals, they are intentionally stylised rather than representing any identifiable botanical species.
These porcelain flowers and the Kakiemon decoration of the karashishi share a particularly appealing coherence: both derive from Japanese models that were first successfully reinterpreted in France by the manufactories of Villeroy, Chantilly and Saint-Cloud. The present candelabra therefore unite an authentic work of Japanese porcelain with one of its earliest French reinterpretations. With remarkable imagination, they exemplify the extraordinary ability of eighteenth-century French decorative arts to transform the exotic into something entirely new. Once guardians of Japanese temples, these karashishi were reimagined through the genius of the marchands-merciers to become one of the most accomplished expressions of French taste under Louis XV.
Firmly poised on their four legs, with piercing eyes and mouths slightly open as if ready to roar, this pair of karashishi is delicately adorned with flowering branches. The severity of their stance is softened by the graceful sinuosity of their candle arms, while the hard-paste porcelain of Japan is complemented by the soft-paste porcelain of Villeroy: this remarkable work represents a sophisticated synthesis of traditional Asian symbolism and the decorative virtuosity of France under Louis XV.
Karashishi: Prestigious Protective Guardians
Halfway between lion and dog, the karashishi are the guardians of sacred places in Japan and are frequently found at the entrance of shrines and Buddhist temples. Derived from Chinese mythical creatures, they were believed to ward off malevolent spirits. According to tradition, the figure with the open mouth on this pair is male, while the other is female. Among the five principal creatures of the Japanese artistic tradition—including the dragon (ryu), the unicorn (kirin) and the turtle (minogame) - the Buddhist lion known as shishi appears in numerous forms, sometimes even assuming the characteristics of a tiger.
Speckled with turquoise, blue, yellow and red enamels on a white ground, these two porcelain figures embody the Japanese Kakiemon style. Originally taking its name from the family that introduced overglaze enamelling techniques at Arita during the 1640s, this style was widely exported and eagerly imitated by European manufactories throughout the eighteenth century. Created in the early eighteenth century in the Arita region, these hard-paste porcelain karashishi were transported to the port of Imari and subsequently shipped to Deshima, the artificial island at Nagasaki reserved for Dutch merchants, the only Japanese port open to Europeans during most of the Edo period. From there, they travelled aboard vessels of the Dutch East India Company to Batavia (present-day Jakarta), the Company's principal Asian trading hub, before being dispatched to Europe. Upon reaching the Dutch Republic, while Asian porcelain was distributed throughout Europe, these two karashishi eventually found their way to France, and most likely to Paris, the leading centre of decorative arts production in the eighteenth century.
Without their gilt-bronze mounts, they can be compared to several karashishi from the same period, including a pair in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, another at Drayton House in England, and examples sold at Christie’s: a figure in London on 15 September 2010, lot 517; a pair in London on 7 November 2012, lot 389; a pair in Paris on 1 December 2016, lot 296; and another pair more recently in Paris on 10 December 2025, lot 123.
The present pair, however, stands apart from all known comparables through its rarity. Unlike most examples, which are generally smaller and decorated only in yellow and blue, these figures measure nearly fifty centimetres in height and display a far richer palette, incorporating blue, yellow, green, turquoise and red. Yet what makes this pair particularly rare and desirable is its exceptional ormolu mounts.
The Union of Exoticism and the Art of Ormolu under Louis XV: the Essential Role of the Marchands-Merciers
Asian exoticism exerted a profound fascination during the reign of Louis XV, while simultaneously undergoing a process of reinterpretation. Lacquer panels were cut and incorporated into French furniture, and porcelain was frequently embellished with ormolu mounts. The marchands-merciers played a central role in this process, acting as intermediaries between porcelain dealers, bronziers, cabinet-makers and the clients who commissioned such works.
Particularly related to the present pair are two pairs of karashishi preserved in the Residenz, Munich (fig. 1), likewise mounted as three-light candelabra. While one pair is composed of turquoise Chinese porcelain, the other is made of Imari porcelain remarkably similar to the present examples (inv. K.V.C. 238). Although the splendour of the Munich pair earned it a place on the cover of John Ayers' Porcelain for Palaces (J. Ayers et al., Porcelain for Palaces, London, 1990), it remains less remarkable than the present pair, whose richer palette, pierced base and porcelain flowers greatly enhance its decorative effect.
Another comparable pair of Japanese porcelain karashishi mounted as three-light candelabra is illustrated in S. Castelluccio, Le goût pour les porcelaines de Chine et du Japon à Paris aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, Saint-Rémy-en-l’Eau, 2013, p. 108, and is today in a private collection. Although supported by a magnificent pierced gilt-bronze base, its monochrome porcelain decoration cannot rival the vibrant Imari palette of the present examples.
The taste for enamelled Asian porcelain, often referred to as "coloured porcelain", continued throughout the eighteenth century, securing an essential role for the marchands-merciers for decades. On 20 November 1777, for example, the Paris sale of Claude-François Julliot included: "Two lions, or chimeras, speckled in yellow and green, their mouths, manes and ears in a deep celestial blue colour; set upon an oblong square base with pierced interlaced panels and four ormolu ball feet; height 7 pouces 4 lignes." The same pair reappeared on 1 March 1784 in the sale of the Comte de Merle. Moreover, more than thirty years after the creation of the present candelabra, the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre commissioned a pair of enamelled Chinese lions mounted in ormolu as candlesticks by the celebrated bronzier François Rémond. One of these candlesticks was sold at Sotheby’s Paris on 28 November 2016, lot 276.
Among these comparable works of art from the Louis XVI period - and indeed among the rare eighteenth-century karashishi mounted in ormolu —the present pair is distinguished by a feature in which the marchands-merciers again played a crucial role: its delicate Villeroy porcelain flowers.
Executed in soft-paste porcelain, these flowers are among the earliest examples produced in France. Porcelain flowers were originally created in China as early as the beginning of the Ming dynasty for the embellishment of vases, and later in Japan between 1690 and 1710. The Villeroy manufactory was established between 1734 and 1737 under the patronage of the Duc de Villeroy and was among the earliest French porcelain factories, predating even Vincennes and Chantilly in reproducing such flowers and was a key instigator of this production. Predominantly white and heightened with subtle touches of colour at the tips, the petals on the present candelabra closely imitate their Japanese counterparts. Like them, they are broadly generic and do not correspond to any specific botanical species. It was through his passionate collecting of these porcelain flowers and other Japanese porcelains, as well as their Villeroy imitations, that Louis-Henri de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, conceived the ambition of establishing a porcelain manufactory at Chantilly capable of reproducing them. His posthumous inventory records several comparable mounted Japanese porcelain lions, including “a pair of five-light gilt-bronze girandoles supported by blue and brown porcelain lions standing on their porcelain bases mounted with gilt-bronze, the whole valued together at two hundred livres.” By virtue of the exceptional rarity of its Japanese porcelain, its decoration, and its porcelain flowers, the present pair is even rarer than the example owned by the Prince de Condé.
These porcelain flowers and the Kakiemon style of the karashishi share a striking coherence: both derive from Japanese decorative forms first extensively reproduced in France by the manufactories of Villeroy, Chantilly and Saint-Cloud. This pair of candelabra therefore combines an original work of Japanese porcelain with one of its earliest Western reinterpretations. With remarkable innovation, it embodies the ability of French decorative arts to reimagine the Orient: transformed from guardians of Japanese temples, these karashishi became, through the genius of the marchands-merciers, one of the most accomplished expressions of eighteenth-century French taste.
Fermement dressés sur leurs quatre pattes, le regard foudroyant et la gueule entrouverte prête à rugir, ce couple de Karashishi se retrouve délicatement paré de branchages fleuris. À la sévérité de leur posture s’oppose la douce sinuosité de leurs bras de lumière et à la porcelaine dure du Japon celle tendre de Villeroy : cette œuvre est un merveilleux syncrétisme entre la symbolique traditionnelle asiatique et la virtuosité décorative française sous le règne de Louis XV.
Les Karashishi, des gardiens protecteurs de prestige
À mi-chemin entre le lion et le chien, les karashishi sont au Japon les gardiens des lieux sacrés ; on les retrouve fréquemment à l’entrée des sanctuaires et des temples bouddhistes. Ils sont dérivés de créatures chinoises et sont réputés pouvoir chasser les esprits malveillants. Selon la tradition, celui qui a la gueule entrouverte sur cette paire est un mâle et l’autre une femelle. Parmi les cinq principales créatures de la tradition artistique japonaise, comprenant le dragon (ryu), la licorne (kirin), ou encore la tortue (minogame), le lion bouddhiste appelé shishi peut prendre de multiples variantes, jusqu’à celle du tigre.
Mouchetés de points turquoise, bleus, jaunes et rouges sur fond blanc, ces deux figures de porcelaine incarnent le style japonais kakiémon. Portant originellement le nom de la famille qui a introduit les techniques d’émaux sur couverte à Arita dans les années 1640, ce style est largement exporté et copié par les manufactures européennes au XVIIIe siècle. Lorsque ces karashishi en porcelaine dure sont créés au début du XVIIIe siècle dans la région d’Arita, ils sont acheminés vers le port d’Imari, puis expédiés à Deshima, un îlot artificiel réservé aux Hollandais à Nagasaki, seul port japonais ouvert aux Européens pendant la majeure partie de la période Edo. Ils sont ensuite acheminés par les navires hollandais de la Compagnie néerlandaise des Indes orientales jusqu’à Batavia (aujourd’hui Jakarta), principal centre logistique asiatique de la compagnie, avant leur départ pour l'Europe. Lorsqu’ils arrivent aux Provinces Unies, alors que toutes les autres porcelaines sont diffusées dans toute l’Europe, ces deux karashishi gagnent la France, et probablement Paris, centre d’excellence de la production des arts décoratifs au XVIIIe siècle.
Sans leur monture de bronze, ils ressemblent à plusieurs karashishi de la même période, tels qu’une paire à l'Ashmolean Museum à Oxford, une autre à Drayton House en Angleterre, et certains vendus chez Christie’s : l’un à Londres le 15 septembre 2010, lot 517, une paire le 7 novembre 2012, lot 389, une paire à Paris le 1er décembre 2016, lot 296, et une autre très récemment à Paris le 10 décembre 2025, lot 123.
Mais notre paire de Karashishi se distingue de tous ses comparables par sa rareté. À la différence des autres, généralement plus petits et uniquement jaunes et bleus, ils mesurent près de cinquante centimètres et présentent une variété de couleurs plus riche : bleu, jaune, vert, mais aussi turquoise et rouge. Mais ce qui rend surtout cette paire de karashishi particulièrement rare et précieuse, c’est leur exceptionnelle monture de bronze doré.
L'alliance de l'exotisme et de l'art du bronze sous le règne de Louis XV : l'intervention essentielle des marchands-merciers
L’exotisme asiatique sous le règne de Louis XV fait l’objet d’une fascination, mais aussi d’une certaine appropriation : les panneaux de laque sont découpés et plaqués sur des meubles français tandis que les porcelaines sont régulièrement montées de bronze. Les marchands-merciers occupent un rôle essentiel dans cet assemblage en tant qu’intermédiaires entre les commerçants de porcelaine, les ateliers de bronze ou d’ébénisterie, mais aussi la clientèle qui leur adresse des commandes.
Particulièrement proches de notre paire, deux couples de Karashishi sont conservés au Residenzmuseum de Munich (fig. 1), également montés en candélabres à trois lumières. Si l’un est en porcelaine de Chine turquoise, l’autre est en porcelaine Imari remarquablement similaire au nôtre (k.v.c 238). Si la majesté de cette œuvre du Residenzmuseum lui vaut d’être l’illustration de couverture de l’ouvrage de John Ayers, Porcelain for Palaces, (J. Ayers et al., Porcelain for Palaces, London 1990), elle demeure moins remarquable que notre paire, qui présente une palette de couleurs beaucoup plus riche, une base ajourée ainsi que des fleurs de porcelaine.
Il existe une autre paire de Karashishi en porcelaine du Japon montée en candélabres à trois lumières comparable à la nôtre, illustrée dans S. Castellucio, Le goût pour les porcelaines de Chine et du Japon à Paris aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, Saint-Rémy-en-l’Eau 2013, p. 108, aujourd’hui conservée dans une collection particulière. Bien qu’elle repose sur une majestueuse base ajourée entièrement en bronze doré, sa porcelaine uniforme n’égale pas le décor Imari des nôtres.
Le goût des porcelaines émaillées asiatiques, aussi appelées "porcelaines coloriées" continue de se poursuivre tout le long du siècle, assurant une place essentielle aux marchands-merciers pendant des décennies. Bien que les mentions de chiens-lions chinois de porcelaine turquoise et violette soient courantes dans les ventes du XVIIIe siècle, celles des lions de type Karashishi sont rares. Le 20 novembre 1777, une vente de Claude-François Julliot à Paris mentionne "Deux lions, ou chimères, mouchetés de jaune & verd, leur gueule, crinières, oreilles de couleur bleu céleste foncé ; placés sur socle quarré long à panneaux d’entrelacs à jour & à quatre boules de bronze doré ; hauteur 7 pouces 4 lignes". Cette paire réapparaît ensuite le 1er mars 1784 dans la vente du collectionneur M. le comte de Merle. Par ailleurs, plus de trente ans après la création de notre paire de candélabres, le marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre fait exécuter une paire de lions chinois émaillés montés de bronze doré en flambeaux par le célèbre bronzier François Rémond. L’un de ces flambeaux a été vendu chez Sotheby’s à Paris le 28 novembre 2016, lot 276. De ces derniers comparables d’époque Louis XVI, et plus généralement parmi les rares Karashishi montés de bronze au XVIIIe siècle, notre paire se distingue par un élément pour lequel les marchands-merciers jouent encore un rôle crucial : ses délicates fleurs en porcelaine de Villeroy.
En pâte tendre, ces fleurs "en pastillages" sont parmi les premières réalisées en France. Originellement, les fleurs de porcelaine sont créées en Chine dès le début de la dynastie Ming, pour des ornements de vases, puis au Japon, entre 1690 et 1710. Fondée entre 1734 et 1737 sous la protection du duc de Villeroy, la manufacture de Villeroy est l’une des premières manufactures en France, avant même Vincennes et Chantilly, à reproduire ces fleurs et est une véritable instigatrice de cette production. Essentiellement blanches et soulignées de légères touches de couleurs aux extrémités, les pétales de cette paire de candélabres imitent précisément les fleurs japonaises. Comme ces dernières, elles sont assez comparables les unes aux autres, ne correspondant à aucune variété florale particulière. C'est en collectionnant avec passion ces fleurs et autres porcelaines du Japon, mais aussi ses imitations de Villeroy, que Louis-Henri de Bourbon, prince de Condé, éprouve le désir de fonder à Chantilly une manufacture de porcelaine qui puisse les reproduire. Dans son inventaire après-décès, sont cités quelques lions en porcelaine du Japon montés comparables, tels qu' "une paire de girandolles à cinq branches de bronze soutenues par des Lyons de porcelaine bleue et brune sur leurs pieds aussi de porcelaine garnis de bronze, le tout doré d'or moulu prisés ensemble deux cent livres". Par la rareté de sa porcelaine du Japon, de son décor et de ses fleurs de porcelaine, notre paire demeure encore plus rare que celle du Prince de Condé.
Ces fleurs de porcelaine et le style kakiémon de ces karashishi partagent une cohérence amusante : tous deux sont des décors japonais abondamment reproduits pour la première fois en France par les manufactures de Villeroy, Chantilly et Saint-Cloud. Cette paire de candélabres aux karashishi intègre ainsi à la fois une œuvre originale de porcelaine du Japon et une de ses reproductions occidentales. Cette œuvre incarne avec une rare inventivité la capacité des arts décoratifs français à réimaginer l’Orient : de gardiens de temples japonais, ces karashishi deviennent, grâce au génie des marchands-merciers, l’un des manifestes les plus accomplis du goût français du XVIIIe siècle.