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Lot Essay
Whilst the country of origin of this highly unusual pair of candelabra remains a mystery, the design appears to have been the work of the dessinateur et ornemantiste Jean-François Forty. Forty was known, along with others, such as Ranson, Salembier and J.-B. Huet, to have worked closely with both the ébénistes and the bronziers of the period. A design for a chandelier displaying nearly identical female caryatid supports and floral garlands is illustrated in P. Gélis-Didot, L'Oeuvre de J.-Fr. Forty, Paris, n.d., p.55.
A pair of brûle parfums bearing identical caryatid supports was offered, Sotheby's New York, 22 May 1997, lot 124. Although suprisingly no further information can be found at this time, some of the stylistic elements may suggest an origin other than France. For example, the heaviness of the branches of the floral candelabra arms and the unusual pierced floral banding to the base relate to a vase form candelabra in the Orlowski Museum and illustrated in K.A. Solowiew, Russian Lighting, Moscow, 1950, fig. 172.
A pair of brûle parfums bearing identical caryatid supports was offered, Sotheby's New York, 22 May 1997, lot 124. Although suprisingly no further information can be found at this time, some of the stylistic elements may suggest an origin other than France. For example, the heaviness of the branches of the floral candelabra arms and the unusual pierced floral banding to the base relate to a vase form candelabra in the Orlowski Museum and illustrated in K.A. Solowiew, Russian Lighting, Moscow, 1950, fig. 172.