Lot Essay
The original porcelain models of mute swans (Cygnus olor) featured on these impressive candelabra were originally worked on by Kändler in 1747 with the assistance of Peter Reinicke, and were completed the following year as form number 1054 or 1060.
They were made in several sizes, of which this is the largest, and remained popular well into the 19th century. Other examples of this largest size, also mounted as candelabra, include a pair from the Patiño collection (sold Sotheby's, New York, 1 November 1986, lot 6, $70,000), and a pair in the Wrightsman Collection (illustrated in C.C. Dauterman, The Wrightsman Collection Porcelain, Greenwich, 1970, vol. IV, p. 80, cats. 36 A-B).
They were made in several sizes, of which this is the largest, and remained popular well into the 19th century. Other examples of this largest size, also mounted as candelabra, include a pair from the Patiño collection (sold Sotheby's, New York, 1 November 1986, lot 6, $70,000), and a pair in the Wrightsman Collection (illustrated in C.C. Dauterman, The Wrightsman Collection Porcelain, Greenwich, 1970, vol. IV, p. 80, cats. 36 A-B).