Is ormolu the same as gilt bronze?

In practice, yes. The two terms are used interchangeably in these listings, with "gilt bronze" appearing in 17 of the 71 titles. Ormolu is bronze or brass with a gold-coloured gilded surface, developed in France in the 18th century for mounts, clock cases and decorative wares where the look of gold was wanted on a cast body.

Why are so many pieces sold in pairs?

They were made that way. Classical vessels for the chimneypiece or table were conceived symmetrically, and "pair" appears in 35 of the 71 titles on Sellingantiques. Pairs also sit in most of the upper half of the range. Single mounts and small figures are where the bottom of the range lives.

What does Grand Tour mean on an ormolu listing?

Souvenir bronzes of classical and Napoleonic monuments, bought by travellers. The phrase turns up in 14 of these titles. The Vendôme Column is the model that recurs most, seven separate listings of essentially the same souvenir, spread across a wide band of the range. A reduction of the Warwick Vase appears too.

How old is most ormolu on the market?

Nineteenth century. Thirty-three listings say only "19th Century" and nothing more precise, and where a clean year is given it runs 1800 to 1930. The 1880s are the busiest decade in the dated field, ahead of the 1870s. Just two entries in the whole archive fall outside the 19th century, one from the 1910s and one from the 1930s.

Does a Louis XVI title mean an 18th-century piece?

Not in this category. The dated field starts at 1800, so Louis XIV, Louis XVI and Empire in these titles are style names rather than dates. Charles X and Restauration appear the same way, and Regency accounts for five dated entries.

What unusual things turn up in this category?

Alongside the vessels and burners there are one-offs. A Berlin iron plaque of Napoleon in an ormolu frame, a set of four gilded brass curtain tie-backs, a gilded bronze desk set of playing kittens, and a pair of Regency 'Au Bon Sauvage' abolitionist compotes. Napoleon is the most recurrent subject after the classical vessel, appearing as a bronze figure, an iron plaque and a large early 19th-century portrait plaque. Supply is thin and scattered: around eight pieces a year, listed by 35 different dealers.