Lot Essay
These candelabras bear witness to the unique creative engagement of merchant-merchants in eighteenth-century Paris, a phenomenon well documented by Carolyn Sargentson in her book Merchants and Luxury Markets: The Marchands Merciers of Eighteenth Century, London, 1996.
The alliance of French gilt bronze and Japanese porcelain was the result of a birllling combination of elements present in the stocks of these merchants. The merchant-merchants were the representatives of this innovation in terms of form and combination of materials. They were the only ones able to supply this type of object, mainly because of corporate restrictions.
According to Sargentson, Japanese and Chinese porcelain were distinguished from each other in most inventories of the 1720s and 1730s, and the dealer Thomas-Joachim Herbert stocked a particularly large quantity of the more valuable Japanese porcelain.In addition to the relative rarity of Japanese porcelain, according to the 1724 inventory of Hébert's porcelain, Chinese porcelain was on average less highly valued. Japanese objects were valued on average at 12 livres each, and Chinese objects at 8 livres each, see ibid. p. 70-72.Animal designs on export porcelain mounted in gilt bronze were particularly fashionable under Louis XV. Because of their exotic appearance, birds of prey and parrots were among the most popular representations. Rooster figures were much rarer, which makes this pair of candelabras particularly unusual.
A similar pair of candelabras with roosters in Japanese porcelain was sold at Christie's, London, 6 December 2007, lot 29.
The alliance of French gilt bronze and Japanese porcelain was the result of a birllling combination of elements present in the stocks of these merchants. The merchant-merchants were the representatives of this innovation in terms of form and combination of materials. They were the only ones able to supply this type of object, mainly because of corporate restrictions.
According to Sargentson, Japanese and Chinese porcelain were distinguished from each other in most inventories of the 1720s and 1730s, and the dealer Thomas-Joachim Herbert stocked a particularly large quantity of the more valuable Japanese porcelain.In addition to the relative rarity of Japanese porcelain, according to the 1724 inventory of Hébert's porcelain, Chinese porcelain was on average less highly valued. Japanese objects were valued on average at 12 livres each, and Chinese objects at 8 livres each, see ibid. p. 70-72.Animal designs on export porcelain mounted in gilt bronze were particularly fashionable under Louis XV. Because of their exotic appearance, birds of prey and parrots were among the most popular representations. Rooster figures were much rarer, which makes this pair of candelabras particularly unusual.
A similar pair of candelabras with roosters in Japanese porcelain was sold at Christie's, London, 6 December 2007, lot 29.