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拍品專文
These superb candelabra, with supports in the form of the Three Graces, supporting spiralling arms around a central vine-wrapped Bacchic thyrsus finial, epitomize the elegant goût arabesque of the 1770's and 1780's.
Although a firm attribution to a particular bronzier remains elusive, these candelabra relate in particular to a pair in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, which feature very similar spiralling arms and Bacchic finial, and a similar relief of Bacchic putti to the base as on the candelabra offered here. The Louvre examples, however, have two classical maidens supporting the arms, rather than the Three Graces. The Louvre maidens are ultimately derived from groups of two female figures by the sculpteur Etienne-Maurice Falconet exhibited in the 1761 Salon, which were designed to be cast as supports for silver candelabra by François-Thomas Germain and which were famously sketched by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin in the margin of his catalogue (see D. Alcouffe et al., Gilt Bronzes in the Louvre, Dijon, 2004, p. 106, cat. 47).
Other examples of the Louvre candelabra model include a pair formerly in the collection of Rodolphe Kann (illustrated in Catalogue de la Collection Rodolphe Kann, Paris, 1907, cat. 162), and a further pair sold from the collection of Sir Anthony de Rothschild, Christie's, London, 13 June 1923, lot 37.
A further pair of candelabra, with supports in the form of the Three Graces, but with differing candle arms, was sold from the Stroganoff Collection, Rudolph Lepke, Berlin, 12-13 May 1931, lot 171.
Although a firm attribution to a particular bronzier remains elusive, these candelabra relate in particular to a pair in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, which feature very similar spiralling arms and Bacchic finial, and a similar relief of Bacchic putti to the base as on the candelabra offered here. The Louvre examples, however, have two classical maidens supporting the arms, rather than the Three Graces. The Louvre maidens are ultimately derived from groups of two female figures by the sculpteur Etienne-Maurice Falconet exhibited in the 1761 Salon, which were designed to be cast as supports for silver candelabra by François-Thomas Germain and which were famously sketched by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin in the margin of his catalogue (see D. Alcouffe et al., Gilt Bronzes in the Louvre, Dijon, 2004, p. 106, cat. 47).
Other examples of the Louvre candelabra model include a pair formerly in the collection of Rodolphe Kann (illustrated in Catalogue de la Collection Rodolphe Kann, Paris, 1907, cat. 162), and a further pair sold from the collection of Sir Anthony de Rothschild, Christie's, London, 13 June 1923, lot 37.
A further pair of candelabra, with supports in the form of the Three Graces, but with differing candle arms, was sold from the Stroganoff Collection, Rudolph Lepke, Berlin, 12-13 May 1931, lot 171.