HENRY AUGUSTE (1759-1816)
The son of distinguished goldsmith and bronzier-ciseleur Robert-Joseph Auguste, Henry Auguste entered his mark in 1785 to take over the family workshop although he was already very much involved in the business having signed in 1784 the register for the King's furnishings which sealed his status as the royal goldsmith to Louis XVI. Auguste enjoyed a prosperous career, titling himself as Auguste Fils Orfèvre du Roi, which continued after the revolution despite his royal association. Following the establishment of the Empire, Auguste carried out numerous commissions for the City of Paris including the Grand Vermeil service presented to Emperor Napoleon, much of which is now in the Musée National des Châteaux Malmaison. Auguste was additionally awarded a Gold Medal at the 1802 Industrial Exhibition, and created the gold crown for Napoleon’s coronation as Emperor in 1804 in collaboration with jeweler Aubert. Auguste’s fortunes changed shortly after this. By 1806 he had amassed debts exceeding 1.3 million francs. Although his creditors allowed him eight years to reorder his affairs, he was caught in Dieppe in 1809 attempting to sail to England under a false name with his stock and valuables. Auguste was declared fraudulently bankrupt and sentenced to six years in jail. He died in Port-au-Prince in September 1816.

THE MODEL
Henry Auguste's style was influenced by the recent discoveries in Herculaneum and he borrowed extensively from antiquity for inspiration for his snake handles, caduceus, Victories, eagles or lion paws and bird claws. His compositions are often exhuberant and original clearly demonstrated by these candelabra with the claw feet peeking out at the base of the stems or with the profusion of foliage and scrolls in the branches giving the impression of unending movement.
These candelabra are inspired by a model designed by Jean-Guillaume Moitte (1746-1810) with variants such as optional chains and the arms terminating in either rosettes or simply loops of the snakes, now preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Acc. No. 1978.521.4). Moitte trained under the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (1714-85) and then transferred to the atelier of Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne (1704-78), the favourite sculptor of King Louis XV. Moitte was very much influenced by his time at the Académie in Rome and on his return he is believed to have produced over 1000 drawings for Henry Auguste, many of which were later acquired by the Odiot firm. (J. Lebreton, Notice historique sur la vie et les ouvrages de Moitte, Paris, 1812, p. 30). Henry Auguste made several versions of Moitte's design for candelabra, however, this particular model seems to pre-date all the known examples. Christie's sold from the Collection of A. Jerrold Perenchio, New York, 14 October 2020, lot 26, a set of six candlesticks of this design from the same service.

THE DUKES OF CAMIÑA
The engraved coat-of-arms is that of the Dukes of Camiña. The title originated in Portugal in the 16th Century, but only lasted two generations before thr 2nd Duke of Caminha was executed for treason in 1641. The title was then granted in 1660 to Beatrice de Menezes, the younger sister of the 2nd Duke who was married to the Spanish Count of Medellin, by King Philip IV of Spain for her loyalty to the Spanish Habsburg crown, hence the later Spanish spelling of Camiña.

These candelabra were part of a service commissioned to Henry Auguste as a set of six dinner plates also dated 1787 were sold at De Baecque et Associés, Paris, 16 October 2020, lot 21.