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LE SERVICE DU ROI DU PORTUGAL, OEUVRE DES GERMAINS
LES QUATRE CANDÉLABRES À TROIS LUMIÈRES EN ARGENT DU SERVICE DU ROI DU PORTUGAL DITS "SATTIROS" OU MODÈLE No 51
PARIS; LES FLAMBEAUX PAR THOMAS GERMAIN, 1732⁄33 ET 1734⁄35; LES BOUQUETS PAR FRANÇOIS-THOMAS GERMAIN, 1756-1757; GRAVÉS SOUS LES BASES: FAIT PAR F.T. GERMAIN SCULPT ORF.RE DU ROY AUX GALLERIES DU LOUVRE A PARIS 1757 No 51
细节
LES QUATRE CANDÉLABRES À TROIS LUMIÈRES EN ARGENT DU SERVICE DU ROI DU PORTUGAL DITS "SATTIROS" OU MODÈLE No 51
PARIS; LES FLAMBEAUX PAR THOMAS GERMAIN, 1732⁄33 ET 1734⁄35; LES BOUQUETS PAR FRANÇOIS-THOMAS GERMAIN, 1756-1757; GRAVÉS SOUS LES BASES: FAIT PAR F.T. GERMAIN SCULPT ORF.RE DU ROY AUX GALLERIES DU LOUVRE A PARIS 1757 No 51
Modèle aux satyres No 51, chacun sur base circulaire reposant sur quatre pieds en double enroulement et coquilles, le bord ciselé d’une frise d’oves stylisées, l’ombilic d’un cannage alterné de réserves amaties et de palmettes, et appliqué d’un écu gravé postérieurement du monogramme P1o sous couronne impériale, le fût formé de deux satyres adossés, assis sur un socle balustre ciselé de trophées de musique et danse, et tenant le binet ciselé de canaux torses agrémenté de guirlandes de feuilles de chêne, les branches en enroulements filetés décorées de feuilles d'acanthe et de grappes de raisins, et terminées par des bourgeons, gravés sous les bases FAIT PAR F.T. GERMAIN SCULPT ORF.RE DU ROY AUX GALLERIES DU LOUVRE A PARIS 1757 No 51 et sur les branches No 51, poinçons sous les bases: charge, lettre-date (Q pour 1732 et S pour 1734), et maître-orfèvre (Thomas Germain); dans la base des binets centraux des branches : charge, lettre-date (q pour 1756) et maître-orfèvre (François-Thomas Germain) sur les branches et sur le bord des bases: décharge pour les ouvrages passant à l'étranger (une vache) et poinçon de contrôle français postérieur
H. 39 cm. ; 39.2 cm et 39.5 cm. (2)
17,028 gr. (547 oz. 12 dwt.)
Le monogramme 'P1o' sous couronne impériale est celui du roi du Portugal Pedro IV (1798-1834) qui devient empereur du Brésil de 1822 à 1831 sous le titre de Pedro I.
PARIS; LES FLAMBEAUX PAR THOMAS GERMAIN, 1732⁄33 ET 1734⁄35; LES BOUQUETS PAR FRANÇOIS-THOMAS GERMAIN, 1756-1757; GRAVÉS SOUS LES BASES: FAIT PAR F.T. GERMAIN SCULPT ORF.RE DU ROY AUX GALLERIES DU LOUVRE A PARIS 1757 No 51
Modèle aux satyres No 51, chacun sur base circulaire reposant sur quatre pieds en double enroulement et coquilles, le bord ciselé d’une frise d’oves stylisées, l’ombilic d’un cannage alterné de réserves amaties et de palmettes, et appliqué d’un écu gravé postérieurement du monogramme P1o sous couronne impériale, le fût formé de deux satyres adossés, assis sur un socle balustre ciselé de trophées de musique et danse, et tenant le binet ciselé de canaux torses agrémenté de guirlandes de feuilles de chêne, les branches en enroulements filetés décorées de feuilles d'acanthe et de grappes de raisins, et terminées par des bourgeons, gravés sous les bases FAIT PAR F.T. GERMAIN SCULPT ORF.RE DU ROY AUX GALLERIES DU LOUVRE A PARIS 1757 No 51 et sur les branches No 51, poinçons sous les bases: charge, lettre-date (Q pour 1732 et S pour 1734), et maître-orfèvre (Thomas Germain); dans la base des binets centraux des branches : charge, lettre-date (q pour 1756) et maître-orfèvre (François-Thomas Germain) sur les branches et sur le bord des bases: décharge pour les ouvrages passant à l'étranger (une vache) et poinçon de contrôle français postérieur
H. 39 cm. ; 39.2 cm et 39.5 cm. (2)
17,028 gr. (547 oz. 12 dwt.)
Le monogramme 'P1o' sous couronne impériale est celui du roi du Portugal Pedro IV (1798-1834) qui devient empereur du Brésil de 1822 à 1831 sous le titre de Pedro I.
来源
Une paire:
José I (1714-77), roi du Portugal de 1750 à 1777 ;
Acquis du précédent par Pedro III (1717-1786) et son épouse Marie I (1734-1816), conjointement roi et reine du Portugal ;
Acquis du précédent par João VI (1767-1826), roi de Portugal, du Brésil et des Algarves de 1816 à 1822, puis roi du Portugal de 1822 à 1826 puis empereur titulaire du Brésil ;
Puis par descendance, Pedro IV (1798-1834), jusqu'en 1826, puis Pedro I (1822-31) en tant qu'empereur du Brésil, puis
Pedro II (1825-1891), empereur du Brésil, jusqu'en 1889 ;
Jacques Helft (1891-1980), Paris, 29 mars 1957 ;
Acquis du précédent par Doña Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Linares (1900-1980) et Son Excellence Don Jorge Ortiz Linares (1894-1965) ;
Puis par descendance.
L’autre paire :
Même provenance que la première paire ;
Acquis du précédent par Pedro II, empereur du Brésil ;
Reçu en cadeau du précédent par Isabelle du Brésil (1846–1921), fille de Pedro II, et son mari le prince Gaston d’Orléans, Comte d’Eu (1842-1922) ;
Puis par descendance, Dr Ricardo Espirito Santo da Silva (1900-1955), Lisbonne ;
Jacques Helft (1891-1980), Paris, 2 mars 1956 ;
Acquis du précédent par Doña Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Linares (1900-1980) et Son Excellence Don Jorge Ortiz Linares (1894-1965) ;
Puis par descendance.
José I (1714-77), roi du Portugal de 1750 à 1777 ;
Acquis du précédent par Pedro III (1717-1786) et son épouse Marie I (1734-1816), conjointement roi et reine du Portugal ;
Acquis du précédent par João VI (1767-1826), roi de Portugal, du Brésil et des Algarves de 1816 à 1822, puis roi du Portugal de 1822 à 1826 puis empereur titulaire du Brésil ;
Puis par descendance, Pedro IV (1798-1834), jusqu'en 1826, puis Pedro I (1822-31) en tant qu'empereur du Brésil, puis
Pedro II (1825-1891), empereur du Brésil, jusqu'en 1889 ;
Jacques Helft (1891-1980), Paris, 29 mars 1957 ;
Acquis du précédent par Doña Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Linares (1900-1980) et Son Excellence Don Jorge Ortiz Linares (1894-1965) ;
Puis par descendance.
L’autre paire :
Même provenance que la première paire ;
Acquis du précédent par Pedro II, empereur du Brésil ;
Reçu en cadeau du précédent par Isabelle du Brésil (1846–1921), fille de Pedro II, et son mari le prince Gaston d’Orléans, Comte d’Eu (1842-1922) ;
Puis par descendance, Dr Ricardo Espirito Santo da Silva (1900-1955), Lisbonne ;
Jacques Helft (1891-1980), Paris, 2 mars 1956 ;
Acquis du précédent par Doña Graziella Patiño de Ortiz Linares (1900-1980) et Son Excellence Don Jorge Ortiz Linares (1894-1965) ;
Puis par descendance.
出版
J. Helft, Y. Bottineau, O. Lefuel, Les Grands Orfèvres de Louis XIII à Charles X, Paris, 1965, p. 125, pl. 3, p. 128.
G. Mabille, Orfèvrerie française des XVIe, XVIIe, XVIIIe siècles, catalogue raisonné des collections du Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris, 1984, n°109, p. 78-79.
D. Alcouffe, J. Durand, D. Gaborit-Chopin, P. Ennès, A. Lefébure, Nouvelles acquisitions du département des Objets d'art : 1980-1984, Paris, 1985, n° 37.
L. D’Orey, The Silver Service of the Portuguese Crown, Lisbonne, 1991.
C. Perrin, François-Thomas Germain, orfèvre du roi, Saint-Rémy-en-l’Eau, 1993, p. 115. (ill.)
J. Durand, M. Bimbenet-Privat, F. Dassas, M. Bascou, D. Brouzet, C. Demetrescu, S. Loire, J.-L. Martinez, M.-C. Sahut, M.-E. Dantan, C. Duclos, N. Fournery, S. Laroche, M.-H. de Ribou, G. Séret, Décors, mobilier et objets d'art du musée du Louvre, [Collections du Musée du Louvre], Paris, 2014, p. 349-351, cat. 135. (ill.)
M. Bimbenet-Privat, F. Doux, C. Gougeon, Orfèvrerie de la Renaissance et des Temps Modernes XVIe, XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles. La collection du Musée du Louvre, vol. 2, Paris, 2022, p. 171-174, n° 120.
P. Fuhring, The French Silverware in the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection, Lisbonne, 2025.
G. Mabille, Orfèvrerie française des XVIe, XVIIe, XVIIIe siècles, catalogue raisonné des collections du Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris, 1984, n°109, p. 78-79.
D. Alcouffe, J. Durand, D. Gaborit-Chopin, P. Ennès, A. Lefébure, Nouvelles acquisitions du département des Objets d'art : 1980-1984, Paris, 1985, n° 37.
L. D’Orey, The Silver Service of the Portuguese Crown, Lisbonne, 1991.
C. Perrin, François-Thomas Germain, orfèvre du roi, Saint-Rémy-en-l’Eau, 1993, p. 115. (ill.)
J. Durand, M. Bimbenet-Privat, F. Dassas, M. Bascou, D. Brouzet, C. Demetrescu, S. Loire, J.-L. Martinez, M.-C. Sahut, M.-E. Dantan, C. Duclos, N. Fournery, S. Laroche, M.-H. de Ribou, G. Séret, Décors, mobilier et objets d'art du musée du Louvre, [Collections du Musée du Louvre], Paris, 2014, p. 349-351, cat. 135. (ill.)
M. Bimbenet-Privat, F. Doux, C. Gougeon, Orfèvrerie de la Renaissance et des Temps Modernes XVIe, XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles. La collection du Musée du Louvre, vol. 2, Paris, 2022, p. 171-174, n° 120.
P. Fuhring, The French Silverware in the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection, Lisbonne, 2025.
展览
Lisbonne, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Les Trésors de l'orfèvrerie du Portugal, novembre 1954-janvier 1955, p. 142, no. 454. (la paire de 1732⁄33)
Lisbonne, Ricardo Espirito Santo Silva Foundation, Exposição de ourivesaria Portuguesa e Francesca, mai 1955, no. 479. (la paire de 1732⁄33)
Paris, Hôtel de la Monnaie, Louis XV, Un Moment de Perfection de l'Art Français, 1974, n. 486 (4).
Lisbonne, Ricardo Espirito Santo Silva Foundation, Exposição de ourivesaria Portuguesa e Francesca, mai 1955, no. 479. (la paire de 1732⁄33)
Paris, Hôtel de la Monnaie, Louis XV, Un Moment de Perfection de l'Art Français, 1974, n. 486 (4).
更多详情
THE "SATTIROS"
THE FOUR LOUIS XV SILVER THREE-LIGHT CANDELABRA FROM THE PORTUGUESE ROYAL SERVICE
PARIS, THE CANDLESTICKS WITH MARK OF THOMAS GERMAIN, 1732 AND 1734; THE BRANCHES WITH MARK OF FRANÇOIS-THOMAS GERMAIN, 1756 ; ENGRAVED ON UNDERSIDE WITH: 'FAIT PAR F.T. GERMAIN SCULPT ORF.RE DU ROY AUX GALLERIES DU LOUVRE A PARIS 1757 No 51'
Satyr model No 51, each on circular base resting on four scrolling feet with shell terminal, the rim chased with a band of stylised ovolo, the domed centre chased with weave work alternating with matted reserves and palmetto, and applied with a shield later engraved with monogram 'Po1' and imperial coronet above, the stem formed of two satyrs accollé, sitting on a baluster plinth chased with trophies of music and dance, their raised arms holding the socket chased with swirling fluting and applied with garlands of oak leaves and acorns, the scrolling foliate branches decorated with acanthus leaves and bunches of grapes, engraved on underside 'FAIT PAR F.T. GERMAIN SCULPT ORF.RE DU ROY AUX GALLERIES DU LOUVRE A PARIS 1757 No 51' and on the branches No 51, marked under bases and in sleeves of the branches: charge, date-letter (Q / S and q) and makers; on foot-rims and on branches: decharge for objects going abroad; with later French control mark
The Portuguese Royal Silver Service
The silver service made for the Kings of Portugal remains one of the most important surviving services of eighteenth-century French silver in the world and the largest commission ever entrusted by a foreign court to the Germain workshop.
The First Service, 1729–1753
The story begins in 1729, when King João V of Portugal (1689–1750) commissioned a magnificent silver service from Thomas Germain (1673–1748), goldsmith to Louis XV. Although the majority of the service had been completed by 1737, it appears that certain pieces were still unfinished at the time of Thomas Germain's death in 1748. Indeed at the time of the inventory of his estate, his widow declared that work for the Portuguese commission remained incomplete, although she did not specify which pieces were concerned (see C. Perrin, op. cit., p. 140, Archives Nationales, M.C.N., XXXVI-460).
François-Thomas Germain although only twenty-two years old and therefore still legally a minor under French law, which set the age of majority at twenty-five, was granted royal permission to succeed his father and register his master's mark (fig. 2). Working initially in partnership with his mother until 1750, by 1753 he had done the final deliveries for the Portuguese service, including pieces for the royal apothecary.
Sadly on the 1st November 1755, Lisbon was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake and the first service was tragically buried beneath the ruins of the city. In its aftermath, King José I (1714–1777) (fig. 1) immediately commissioned François-Thomas Germain to produce an entirely new service. Beginning in June 1756, Germain, assisted by the leading goldsmiths including Jacques Ballin, Pierre Germain, Nicolas-Martin Langlois and Louis-Joseph Lenhendrick, undertook one of the most ambitious silver commissions of the eighteenth century.
The Second Service, 1756–1765
The new commission comprised four table services, a gold service reserved exclusively for the king, and several toilet services.
The four silver services corresponded to the traditional courses of a French ceremonial meal, 'l'entrée', 'le rôt', 'la relevée' and 'le dessert'. Although it was paid for in full by the Portuguese Crown, the service was never completed owing to François-Thomas Germain's bankruptcy in 1765, an event that would damage diplomatic relations between France and Portugal.
By the time this new commission was made, Germain's workshop already employed around forty craftsmen working from his designs, supported by five forges and seventeen benches. The scale of the Portuguese commission required a dramatic expansion, however, with more than one hundred artisans engaged on the project as described in a letter by Dom António de Saldanha, Portuguese ambassador to Paris, dated 13 December 1756:
"The silver service... is being worked on, as I have seen myself, by more than one hundred and twenty craftsmen. Since it is intended to be one of the finest works ever executed of its kind, it necessarily takes time, and these gentlemen hope that His Majesty will not imagine they lack diligence."
Approximately 1,200 pieces were delivered between November 1757 and May 1765 in forty-three crates shipped aboard Portuguese vessels departing from Le Havre. Every piece was engraved with a serial number so that it could be recorded individually upon arrival in Lisbon and allocated to the correct service. A register preserved in the Historical Archives of the Portuguese Ministry of Finance, dated 24 June 1756, records almost the entire commission, with the exception of certain toilet services and personal objects ordered later, after Germain's bankruptcy.
The Candelabra
Each service included numerous candlesticks, but only eight monumental candelabra were delivered with the first shipment, which reached Lisbon on 14 November 1757. They were divided into two sets of four of different models, described in the invoice as 'sattiros' (satyrs and faunesses) and 'arvoredos' (children beneath trees), engraved respectively with the inventory numbers 51 and 52.
The present set of four belongs to the serie no. 51, the 'sattiros' model. Significantly, the bases bear the mark of Thomas Germain, making them, as far as is known, the only known pieces from the second Portuguese service carrying the father's hallmark. By contrast, the branches, and specifically the sleeves of the central nozzles, bear the mark of François-Thomas Germain. Is it possible that this section of the branches was replaced so that he could stamp his own mark? Furthermore, both parts of the candelabra i.e. the bases and the branches are marked only with the export discharge mark (the cow), whereas one would expect to find at least on the bases (marked for Thomas Germain) the earlier discharge mark of Hubert Louvet (the horse), used between 1732 and 1738.
Christiane Perrin in her book François-Thomas Germain, Orfèvre des Rois, suggested that these candelabra may have remained in the workshop, forgotten or un-collected by a client. Given their extraordinary size and cost, this seems unlikely. It is equally possible that Thomas Germain kept them for his own use. The model clearly held a particular significance for him, as it is prominently depicted in Nicolas de Largillière's celebrated portrait of the silversmith painted in 1736 (Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon) (fig. 3), where Germain proudly points at the candelabra. From a technical point of view, it is also important to note that the chasing of the branches differs noticeably in style and quality from that of the 'arvoredos' candelabra (model no. 52), executed by François-Thomas Germain in 1756–57 with one pair now in the Musée du Louvre in Paris (OA 10961–10962).
Whatever their earlier history, François-Thomas Germain, perhaps driven by the impatience of the Portuguese court and the immense scale of the commission, ultimately decided to include them into the shipment to Lisbon, engraving them with his own signature and the date 1757. Furthermore they serve as the inspiration for the second serie (No 52).
Saved from Destruction
The Portuguese royal silver survived the upheavals of the nineteenth century because it accompanied the royal family to Rio de Janeiro when they fled the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal in 1807-08. Following the Liberal Revolution of Porto in 1820, King João VI returned to Portugal, bringing most of the Germain service back to Lisbon. The present candelabra, however, remained in Brazil and passed to Emperor Pedro I of Brazil (fig. 4) when he abdicated the Portuguese throne in 1826 in favour of his daughter. He had his imperial monogram engraved on the branch sockets and the bases (fig. 5). Following the deposition of Emperor Pedro II in 1889, these candelabra, together with the remainder of the service in Brazil, were dispersed.
Today they rank among the last privately owned survivors of one of the greatest achievements of eighteenth-century French silver. Characterised by dynamic Rococo forms and extraordinary sculptural modelling, the service made a profound impression when first displayed publicly at the coronation banquet of Queen Maria I in 1777. A contemporary account records:
"One could behold the magnificent hall prepared for the supper of Their Majesties and Royal Highnesses, where a table of the greatest splendour and magnificence was laid. The service displayed an indescribable abundance... these tables were adorned with the superb and numerous pieces of silver recently executed in Paris by the celebrated master Germain by special order of His Majesty King José I. They were shown in public for the first time, to the astonishment and admiration of all the subjects of the Crown and of the foreign guests honoured to witness so brilliant and unprecedented a spectacle."
THE FOUR LOUIS XV SILVER THREE-LIGHT CANDELABRA FROM THE PORTUGUESE ROYAL SERVICE
PARIS, THE CANDLESTICKS WITH MARK OF THOMAS GERMAIN, 1732 AND 1734; THE BRANCHES WITH MARK OF FRANÇOIS-THOMAS GERMAIN, 1756 ; ENGRAVED ON UNDERSIDE WITH: 'FAIT PAR F.T. GERMAIN SCULPT ORF.RE DU ROY AUX GALLERIES DU LOUVRE A PARIS 1757 No 51'
Satyr model No 51, each on circular base resting on four scrolling feet with shell terminal, the rim chased with a band of stylised ovolo, the domed centre chased with weave work alternating with matted reserves and palmetto, and applied with a shield later engraved with monogram 'Po1' and imperial coronet above, the stem formed of two satyrs accollé, sitting on a baluster plinth chased with trophies of music and dance, their raised arms holding the socket chased with swirling fluting and applied with garlands of oak leaves and acorns, the scrolling foliate branches decorated with acanthus leaves and bunches of grapes, engraved on underside 'FAIT PAR F.T. GERMAIN SCULPT ORF.RE DU ROY AUX GALLERIES DU LOUVRE A PARIS 1757 No 51' and on the branches No 51, marked under bases and in sleeves of the branches: charge, date-letter (Q / S and q) and makers; on foot-rims and on branches: decharge for objects going abroad; with later French control mark
The Portuguese Royal Silver Service
The silver service made for the Kings of Portugal remains one of the most important surviving services of eighteenth-century French silver in the world and the largest commission ever entrusted by a foreign court to the Germain workshop.
The First Service, 1729–1753
The story begins in 1729, when King João V of Portugal (1689–1750) commissioned a magnificent silver service from Thomas Germain (1673–1748), goldsmith to Louis XV. Although the majority of the service had been completed by 1737, it appears that certain pieces were still unfinished at the time of Thomas Germain's death in 1748. Indeed at the time of the inventory of his estate, his widow declared that work for the Portuguese commission remained incomplete, although she did not specify which pieces were concerned (see C. Perrin, op. cit., p. 140, Archives Nationales, M.C.N., XXXVI-460).
François-Thomas Germain although only twenty-two years old and therefore still legally a minor under French law, which set the age of majority at twenty-five, was granted royal permission to succeed his father and register his master's mark (fig. 2). Working initially in partnership with his mother until 1750, by 1753 he had done the final deliveries for the Portuguese service, including pieces for the royal apothecary.
Sadly on the 1st November 1755, Lisbon was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake and the first service was tragically buried beneath the ruins of the city. In its aftermath, King José I (1714–1777) (fig. 1) immediately commissioned François-Thomas Germain to produce an entirely new service. Beginning in June 1756, Germain, assisted by the leading goldsmiths including Jacques Ballin, Pierre Germain, Nicolas-Martin Langlois and Louis-Joseph Lenhendrick, undertook one of the most ambitious silver commissions of the eighteenth century.
The Second Service, 1756–1765
The new commission comprised four table services, a gold service reserved exclusively for the king, and several toilet services.
The four silver services corresponded to the traditional courses of a French ceremonial meal, 'l'entrée', 'le rôt', 'la relevée' and 'le dessert'. Although it was paid for in full by the Portuguese Crown, the service was never completed owing to François-Thomas Germain's bankruptcy in 1765, an event that would damage diplomatic relations between France and Portugal.
By the time this new commission was made, Germain's workshop already employed around forty craftsmen working from his designs, supported by five forges and seventeen benches. The scale of the Portuguese commission required a dramatic expansion, however, with more than one hundred artisans engaged on the project as described in a letter by Dom António de Saldanha, Portuguese ambassador to Paris, dated 13 December 1756:
"The silver service... is being worked on, as I have seen myself, by more than one hundred and twenty craftsmen. Since it is intended to be one of the finest works ever executed of its kind, it necessarily takes time, and these gentlemen hope that His Majesty will not imagine they lack diligence."
Approximately 1,200 pieces were delivered between November 1757 and May 1765 in forty-three crates shipped aboard Portuguese vessels departing from Le Havre. Every piece was engraved with a serial number so that it could be recorded individually upon arrival in Lisbon and allocated to the correct service. A register preserved in the Historical Archives of the Portuguese Ministry of Finance, dated 24 June 1756, records almost the entire commission, with the exception of certain toilet services and personal objects ordered later, after Germain's bankruptcy.
The Candelabra
Each service included numerous candlesticks, but only eight monumental candelabra were delivered with the first shipment, which reached Lisbon on 14 November 1757. They were divided into two sets of four of different models, described in the invoice as 'sattiros' (satyrs and faunesses) and 'arvoredos' (children beneath trees), engraved respectively with the inventory numbers 51 and 52.
The present set of four belongs to the serie no. 51, the 'sattiros' model. Significantly, the bases bear the mark of Thomas Germain, making them, as far as is known, the only known pieces from the second Portuguese service carrying the father's hallmark. By contrast, the branches, and specifically the sleeves of the central nozzles, bear the mark of François-Thomas Germain. Is it possible that this section of the branches was replaced so that he could stamp his own mark? Furthermore, both parts of the candelabra i.e. the bases and the branches are marked only with the export discharge mark (the cow), whereas one would expect to find at least on the bases (marked for Thomas Germain) the earlier discharge mark of Hubert Louvet (the horse), used between 1732 and 1738.
Christiane Perrin in her book François-Thomas Germain, Orfèvre des Rois, suggested that these candelabra may have remained in the workshop, forgotten or un-collected by a client. Given their extraordinary size and cost, this seems unlikely. It is equally possible that Thomas Germain kept them for his own use. The model clearly held a particular significance for him, as it is prominently depicted in Nicolas de Largillière's celebrated portrait of the silversmith painted in 1736 (Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon) (fig. 3), where Germain proudly points at the candelabra. From a technical point of view, it is also important to note that the chasing of the branches differs noticeably in style and quality from that of the 'arvoredos' candelabra (model no. 52), executed by François-Thomas Germain in 1756–57 with one pair now in the Musée du Louvre in Paris (OA 10961–10962).
Whatever their earlier history, François-Thomas Germain, perhaps driven by the impatience of the Portuguese court and the immense scale of the commission, ultimately decided to include them into the shipment to Lisbon, engraving them with his own signature and the date 1757. Furthermore they serve as the inspiration for the second serie (No 52).
Saved from Destruction
The Portuguese royal silver survived the upheavals of the nineteenth century because it accompanied the royal family to Rio de Janeiro when they fled the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal in 1807-08. Following the Liberal Revolution of Porto in 1820, King João VI returned to Portugal, bringing most of the Germain service back to Lisbon. The present candelabra, however, remained in Brazil and passed to Emperor Pedro I of Brazil (fig. 4) when he abdicated the Portuguese throne in 1826 in favour of his daughter. He had his imperial monogram engraved on the branch sockets and the bases (fig. 5). Following the deposition of Emperor Pedro II in 1889, these candelabra, together with the remainder of the service in Brazil, were dispersed.
Today they rank among the last privately owned survivors of one of the greatest achievements of eighteenth-century French silver. Characterised by dynamic Rococo forms and extraordinary sculptural modelling, the service made a profound impression when first displayed publicly at the coronation banquet of Queen Maria I in 1777. A contemporary account records:
"One could behold the magnificent hall prepared for the supper of Their Majesties and Royal Highnesses, where a table of the greatest splendour and magnificence was laid. The service displayed an indescribable abundance... these tables were adorned with the superb and numerous pieces of silver recently executed in Paris by the celebrated master Germain by special order of His Majesty King José I. They were shown in public for the first time, to the astonishment and admiration of all the subjects of the Crown and of the foreign guests honoured to witness so brilliant and unprecedented a spectacle."
荣誉呈献
Paul Gallois
Head of European Furniture, EMEA