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A wonderful and unusually large sized pair of Louis XVI gilt and patinated bronze and white marble three-light figural candelabra, each surmounted by realistically cast gilt bronze lily sprays, some in bud and others in full bloom with separately cast stamen with three of the flower heads containing a candle nozzle, the lily branch held to one side in the hands of a beautiful patinated bronze Classical maiden with long coiled hair, wearing diaphanous tassel-edged Classical robes that expose her bare breasts as well as one leg, the pair in contraposto pose, each figure standing on a circular white marble plinth with a beaded band at the top above another gilt band hung with floral and foliate swags above a beaded and foliate banded foot on a gilt beaded square white marble base
Paris, date circa 1775-85
Height to include the lily branch and base: 110 cm. Height of the Classical figure: 48 cm. each.
The figures on these wonderful candelabra relate to those on a set of four candelabra of circa 1785 in the Wallace Collection, London (illustrated and discussed in Peter Hughes, “The Wallace Collection Catalogue of Furniture”, 1996, vol. III, pp.1271-1276, no. 251 (F142-7)). The latter, which have differing bases and candle branches are in part attributed to the renowned fondeur François Rémond (b. circa 1747, d. 1812) and may have been commissioned by the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre. Although the Wallace Collection maidens are in a slightly different pose and wear slightly difference dresses, their overall design and quality is very similar to the present pair.
Hughes mentions a number of candelabra of the same model as the Wallace pair including a pair supported on gilt bronze truncated columns with candle branches cast as two rose and two lily sprays (sold by Sotheby’s London, 11th July 1969, lot 132) as well as a pair which had one-light candle branches in the form of flower sprays and cylindrical porphyry bases (sold Christie’s Monaco, 7th December 1987, lot 54). The present pair of candelabra also closely compare with another pair sold by this gallery, which had identical patinated figures on very similar mounted rouge marble bases but in place of lily sprays, scrolled candle branches issued from cornucopiae (illustrated in “Richard Redding Masterpieces of the Past”, 2000, p. 255).
Candelabra with distinctive lily-spray branches first appeared in engraved patterns during the late 1760’s. Examples include those embellishing a vase designed by Jean-François Forty and engraved by Colinet and Fois in “Les Oeuvres de Sculpteur en Bronze Contenant Girandoles, Flambeaux etc” circa 1768. Subsequently adopted by almost all the major ciseleur-doreurs during the late eighteenth century, such sprays were particularly favoured by François Rémond.
A number of similar candelabra with lily spray branches supported in the arms of a beautiful classical maiden are known including two dated circa 1775 in the Königliches Schloss, Warsaw (illustrated in Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, “Vergoldete Bronzen”, 1986, p. 255, pl. 4.7.4 and 5) and another pair of the same approximate date and in the same castle, both with pairs of similar figures supporting a single three-light lily branch (illustrated ibid, p. 254, pl. 4.7.3) Another with a semi-draped maiden holding floral spray branches above her is in the Residenz Munich (illustrated ibid, p. 211, colour pl. XXIX). It should also be noted that in the Jones Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, London there is a three-light candelabrum of circa 1780 with a mounted Sèvres porcelain vase supporting a spray of lily branches which are very close in design to the present pair, (illustrated ibid, p. 259, pl. 4.7.12).
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