Lot Essay
This model was particularly favored by English collectors, and a number of the examples that survive in English country house collections were most probably sold by the marchand-mercier Dominique Daguerre, Poirier's successor, who came to London in 1787 at the invitation of the Prince Regent. The rights to this model may originally have belonged to Poirier who delivered to Madame du Barry in 1770 'une paire de girandoles trois branches en bronze dor d'or moulu ornes de figures de porcelaine de France 624 livres'. This model of candelabra exists in two basic patterns, this one and another with one of the putti holding aloft a horn. A comparable to this pair was in the collection of the Baron de Rothschild, subsequently in the Wildenstein collection, and was sold from the collection of Mr. Akram Ojjeh, Sotheby's, Monaco, 25 June 1979, lot 51.