Henri Picard was a 19th-century gilder who is said to have graced Paris with his stunning furniture and decor from 1831 to 1864. His bronze pieces included exquisitely detailed candelabras, ornate clocks and sculptural table lamps.
Each item cast and gilded by the talented Picard represented the marriage of function and beauty and is a notable example of Napoleon III-style design. Developing from 1852–70, Napoleon III furniture was plush and ornate, matching the fashion for masked balls and socializing in salons.
Picard was particularly known for his artistry — his body of work includes expertly cast gilt bronze (ormolu) mounts for a range of porcelain vessels produced by Sèvres, a maker of exemplary European ceramics for hundreds of years. Picard collaborated with many designers of his day and worked for a firm called Defreville. And while Picard received numerous commissions, his most notable was designing decorative objects for Napoleon III. The pieces are still displayed at the Napoleon III Apartments in the Louvre Museum, Paris.
Picard also designed mantel clocks for the prestigious French clock-making company Raingo Frères. The manufacturer’s clocks are also on display in the Napoleon III Apartments.
On 1stDibs, find antique Henri Picard decorative objects, lighting, case pieces and more.
Neoclassical Style Malachite, Silvered and Gilt Bronze Clock Set
By Susse Freres, J. Pradier
Located in London, GB
This spectacular clock set is based on the works of the esteemed Neoclassical artist James Pradier (French, 1790-1852), whose sculptures can be found in nearly all of Paris's major m...
Malachite, Ormolu, Bronze
French Ormolu and Silvered Bronze Mounted Malachite Three-Piece Clock Set
By Pierre Alexandre Schoenewerk 1
Located in London, GB
French ormolu and silvered bronze mounted malachite three-piece clock set French, late 19th century Clock: Height 56cm, width 53cm, depth 28cm Candelabra: Height 66cm, width 30cm,...
Malachite, Ormolu, Bronze
Napoleon III Period Ormolu and Patinated Bronze Clock Set by Picard
By Henri Picard
Located in London, GB
This magnificent clock set is the work of celebrated French maker Henri Picard, who collaborated on this fine piece together with the famous firm of clockmakers, Raingo Freres. Both ...
Ormolu, Bronze
Antique French Gilt Bronze and Malachite Clock Set
Located in London, GB
This wonderful clock set was created in France in circa 1870, in the late 19th century. The set, which consists of a mantel clock and pair of candelabra is crafted from gilt bronze (...
Malachite, Ormolu, Bronze
Gilt and Patinated Bronze Antique French Clock Set by Picard
By Henri Picard
Located in London, GB
Comprising a central clock and a pair of flanking candelabra, the central circular dial surrounded by a laurel wreath and bow ormolu mount, with plaques depicting biblical scenes in relief on either side, surmounted by a large patinated bronze group, the pair of ten light candelabra similarly decorated with patinated bronze male...
Marble, Bronze
Neoclassical Style Malachite and Gilt Bronze Mounted Clock Set
Located in London, GB
This three-piece clock and candelabra set is formed of malachite and is fitted with gilt and patinated bronze mounts. The malachite base of th...
Malachite, Ormolu, Bronze
French 19th c Bronze Ormolu and Malachite Clockset Made for Tiffany & Co France
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
An exceptionally decorative French gilt-bronze and malachite three-piece clock garniture, conceived in the grand tradition of nineteenth-century French decorative arts. Comprising a ...
Malachite, Bronze
A Napoleon III Gilt and Silvered Bronze, Onyx and Enamel Figural Clock Set
By Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse
Located in Brighton, West Sussex
A Napoleon III Gilt and Silvered Bronze, Onyx and Champlevé Enamel Figural Three-Piece Clock Garniture. By Eugène Cornu for the Société des Marbres Onyx d'Algerie, the figure cast fr...
Onyx, Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
French Louis XVI Style Napoleon III Bronze Mounted Malachite Mantel Clock
Located in Guaynabo, PR
This mantel clock depicts a mythological group scene in bronze of figures representing a cupid with a torch in his right hand in clouds made of scrolls and foliage flirting with a se...
Malachite, Bronze
19th C. French Louis XVI Patinated And Ormolu Bronze Clock Set By Millard Paris
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
There are clock sets that politely sit on a mantel, minding their own business… and then there are clock sets that move in like French aristocracy—three pieces, full entourage, and a...
Bronze
Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze and Enamel Figural Mantel Clock and Candelabras
By J.E. Caldwell & Co.
Located in New York, NY
Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze and Champleve Enamel Mantel Clock retailed by J.E. Caldwell & Co paired Champlevé and Gilt-bronze Five-light Candelabras A black and maroon enamel ornamente...
Bronze, Enamel
Monumental Signed Louis XVI Malachite and Ormolu Mantel Clock, Late 18th Century
Located in Kittery Point, ME
Louis XVI Ormolu Mantel Clock raised on an associated malachite base, of monumental scale, masterpiece of French Neoclassical decorative art from the late 18th Century, the dial and ...
Malachite, Ormolu
The elegant ceramics represent the best of French artistry and innovation.
This golden material glamorized neoclassical furnishings and transformed upper-crust sitting rooms from France to Philadelphia in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
