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Lot Essay
This pair of candlesticks appears to be the earliest known example of this model by Thomas Germain. They demonstrate Germain's talent to modernise an earlier form. The design derives from Régence candlesticks produced in the 1710s, to which Germain introduced subtle rocaille elements, notably the serpentine contour of the base and the ram's-head masks applied to the shoulder.
Overall, very few candlesticks dating from the early years of his career are known to survive. Of this model, only two other pairs are presently recorded: a pair in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (OA 9955 1 and 2), and a pair formerly in the Jourdan-Barry Collection, illustrated in P. Fuhring, M. Bimbenet-Privat and A. Kugel, Orfèvrerie française. La collection Jourdan-Barry, 2 vols., Paris, 2005, p. 61, no. 148.
Thomas Germain was one of the defining figures of eighteenth-century European silver. Active during the transition from the late reign of Louis XIV to the early reign of Louis XV, his work bridged the formal grandeur of the Baroque and the emerging elegance of the Rococo. Through his sculptural imagination and innovative use of ornament, he transformed the language of French silver design.
Born in Paris in 1673, Germain belonged to a distinguished dynasty of Parisian goldsmiths. His father, Pierre Germain, was himself an accomplished goldsmith, and Thomas was trained within this highly skilled environment. He was received as a master in 1720 and was soon appointed Orfèvre du Roi, establishing his workshop in the Louvre, one of the highest distinctions available to French artists and craftsmen. He rapidly acquired a reputation as one of the most gifted goldsmiths of his generation.
Germain was also an accomplished designer whose drawings inspired generations of craftsmen. His work achieves a remarkable balance between architectural discipline and sculptural freedom. Early pieces, such as the present pair of candlesticks, retain the symmetry and restraint associated with the reign of Louis XIV. Inspired by earlier models, notably that of Charles Petit, dated 1701 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 48.187.245a, b, and 48.187.246a, b), which rests on a gadrooned circular base with a fluted baluster stem applied with flat female masks, Germain introduced for his model a shaped circular base and a baluster stem enriched with boldly modelled ram's heads. In doing so, he modernised a highly successful form and initiated its transition towards the Rococo style.
His mature works reveal increasingly fluid outlines, naturalistic ornaments, and an inventive handling of shells, foliage, scrolls, masks, and cartouches. Although the fully developed Rococo style is more often associated with his son, François-Thomas Germain, Thomas himself played a fundamental role in its formation and dissemination.
Upon his death in 1748, the workshop passed to François-Thomas Germain (1726-1791), who inherited not only his father's clientele but also his artistic prestige, becoming the most celebrated French goldsmith of the mid-eighteenth century.
Overall, very few candlesticks dating from the early years of his career are known to survive. Of this model, only two other pairs are presently recorded: a pair in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (OA 9955 1 and 2), and a pair formerly in the Jourdan-Barry Collection, illustrated in P. Fuhring, M. Bimbenet-Privat and A. Kugel, Orfèvrerie française. La collection Jourdan-Barry, 2 vols., Paris, 2005, p. 61, no. 148.
Thomas Germain was one of the defining figures of eighteenth-century European silver. Active during the transition from the late reign of Louis XIV to the early reign of Louis XV, his work bridged the formal grandeur of the Baroque and the emerging elegance of the Rococo. Through his sculptural imagination and innovative use of ornament, he transformed the language of French silver design.
Born in Paris in 1673, Germain belonged to a distinguished dynasty of Parisian goldsmiths. His father, Pierre Germain, was himself an accomplished goldsmith, and Thomas was trained within this highly skilled environment. He was received as a master in 1720 and was soon appointed Orfèvre du Roi, establishing his workshop in the Louvre, one of the highest distinctions available to French artists and craftsmen. He rapidly acquired a reputation as one of the most gifted goldsmiths of his generation.
Germain was also an accomplished designer whose drawings inspired generations of craftsmen. His work achieves a remarkable balance between architectural discipline and sculptural freedom. Early pieces, such as the present pair of candlesticks, retain the symmetry and restraint associated with the reign of Louis XIV. Inspired by earlier models, notably that of Charles Petit, dated 1701 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 48.187.245a, b, and 48.187.246a, b), which rests on a gadrooned circular base with a fluted baluster stem applied with flat female masks, Germain introduced for his model a shaped circular base and a baluster stem enriched with boldly modelled ram's heads. In doing so, he modernised a highly successful form and initiated its transition towards the Rococo style.
His mature works reveal increasingly fluid outlines, naturalistic ornaments, and an inventive handling of shells, foliage, scrolls, masks, and cartouches. Although the fully developed Rococo style is more often associated with his son, François-Thomas Germain, Thomas himself played a fundamental role in its formation and dissemination.
Upon his death in 1748, the workshop passed to François-Thomas Germain (1726-1791), who inherited not only his father's clientele but also his artistic prestige, becoming the most celebrated French goldsmith of the mid-eighteenth century.