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Lot Essay
This celebrated model of draped nymphs supporting candelabra refer to a design dated 1761 by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (H. Ottomeyer, P. Pröschel et al., Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, vol. I, p. 254, fig 4.7.1). The model was first exhibited at the Salon du Louvre in 1761 by Etienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-1791), Director of the sculpture studio at Sèvres (1759-1766). Whilst the design was originally intended to be cast by the silversmith François-Thomas Germain, it quickly found success in all media.
A number of similar examples follow Falconet's design, such as the pair of three-light lily candelabra supported by draped nymphs with nearly identical goût grec bases, executed circa 1775, now in the Royal Castle in Warsaw. These are believed to have formed part of a commission by Stanislaw-August Poniatowski, the last King of Poland (ibid, p. 254, fig. 4.7.3). Another pair remains at Pavlovsk, St. Petersburg and is believed to have been purchased from the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre circa 1780. An identical pair in the collection of Cécile de Rothschild, sold Christie's Paris, 11 March 2003, lot 391.
A number of similar examples follow Falconet's design, such as the pair of three-light lily candelabra supported by draped nymphs with nearly identical goût grec bases, executed circa 1775, now in the Royal Castle in Warsaw. These are believed to have formed part of a commission by Stanislaw-August Poniatowski, the last King of Poland (ibid, p. 254, fig. 4.7.3). Another pair remains at Pavlovsk, St. Petersburg and is believed to have been purchased from the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre circa 1780. An identical pair in the collection of Cécile de Rothschild, sold Christie's Paris, 11 March 2003, lot 391.