EARLY 19TH CENTURY

These elegant candlesticks are executed in a rare type of green porphyry called 'Tinguait', for which the quarry was never located but was generally found in streams and riverbeds. These were usually relatively small stones, and items made of this type of porphyry were therefore restricted to salt cellars, paper weights and cultery handles, all of limited size. The present candlesticks are exceptional for their tall slender form, and are embellished with beautifully-chased ormolu, with clearly defined mat and burnished areas. A virtually identical pair from the collection of the Wahrendorff family is illustrated in 'Porphyre Pierre Royale, exh. cat., Paris, 1990, no. 43.