MARK OF JAMES BARCLAY HENNELL, LONDON, 1880

This model of candlesticks was created by Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (1695-1750), who was born in Turin before moving to Paris in 1715 where he became rapidly one of the most celebrated goldsmiths of his time and the leader of the Rocaille pittoresque movement. The drawings published by Gabriel Huquier in 1734 entitled Œuvres de Juste Aurèle Meissonnier Peintre Sculpteur Architecte, Dessinateur de la Chambre et Cabinet du roi, show his inventiveness with dynamic forms, the absence of symmetry, and inspiration drawn from nature but profoundly distorted by a sense of fantasy. This particular model was rare in the 18th century and was much reproduced in the 19th century.