EARLY 20TH CENTURY, FRENCH, WITH SPURIOUS MARKS FOR THOMAS GERMAIN, PARIS, 1719, 1721 AND 1750

These candelabra are after the model created by Robert-Joseph Auguste for the King George III of Great Britain, Elector of Hanover's palaces. The original model which features three female terms on the stem was a perfect example of the French neoclassical style and attest of Auguste's sculptural talent. The service later passed from royal ownership to some of the world's most respected silver collections including Edouard-Alphonse James de Rothschild (1868-1949) and Louis Cartier (1875-1942) before being further split and sold off at various auctions and private sales. Pairs of candelabra are now at the Louvre Museum, the Metropolitan in New York and the Getty Museum.

Although this set clearly borrows from Auguste's model, the goldsmith has here replaced the classical female busts with Egyptian terms. The fashion for Egyptian motifs started throughout Europe after Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign to Egypt from 1798 to 1801 and would eventually come to define the Empire style. Although the model for these candelabra was not found, Egyptian terms were commonly used as an ornament from 1800 by bronziers and goldsmiths alike and remained popular throughout the 19th century.