The triangular plinth on three large winged lion's paw feet, and adorned with sphinxes beneath the upper base applied with three standing draped female figures each holding a cornucopia hung with vine garlands from which emerge double fluted branches, sockets and drip-pans, the upper circular rim cast and chased with palmettes, engraved on plinth with a coat-of-arms and in centre with crest and motto, the detachable nozzles engraved twice with a crest, marked on base, upper plinth, undersides of sphinx, undersides of figures, on central vine leaves of each swag, on detachable rosettes, on branches, on sockets and nozzles, on rim of dish ring, on two melon shaped nuts and on some further nuts
29 in. (73.5 cm.) high
657 oz. 10 dwt. (20,457 gr.)
The arms and crest are those of Coote, for Sir Charles Henry Coote, 9th Bt. whose three times great grandfather was the younger brother of Sir Charles Coote, 2nd Bt., created Earl of Mountrath in 1660. Sir Charles Henry Coote succeeded to the baronetcy in 1802 on the death of Charles Henry, 6th and last Earl of Mountrath. He was a Colonel of the Queen's County Militia and an M.P. for Queens County 1821-47 and 1852-69. He married Caroline, daughter of John Whaley of Whaley Abbey, co. Wicklow in 1814 and died at 5 Connaught Place, Paddington on 8 October 1864.

Sir Charles Henry Coote, 9th Bt. (1792-1864), of Ballyfinn House, then by descent to,
Sir Algernon Charles Plumptre Coote, 12th Bt. (1847-1920), of Ballyfinn House,
Rev. Sir Algernon Coote, Bart., of Ballyfinn House, Queen's County, Ireland; Christie's, London, 10 December 1896, lot 57.
with Joshua N. McClelland, Melbourne, Australia, from whom acquired by,
Pierre Jean Léonce Augé (1895–1967), French diplomat and war hero, Ministre Plenipotentiaire to Australia, later French ambassador to Pakistan, then by descent.

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Lot Essay

Sir Charles Coote built Ballyfin House, Mountrath, described as 'the grandest and most lavishly appointed early nineteenth century Classical house in Ireland' (M. Bence-Jones, ed., Burke's Guide to Country Homes, vol.I, Ireland, 1978, p.21), which was sold by the family in the 1920s and is now a hotel. The interior was appointed in the most magnificent taste with a wealth of rich plasterwork and scagliola columns. Sir Charles died in 1864.

This candelabrum formed part of a magnificent service of plate dating from 1812, presumably ordered for his coming of age. The service also included a massive pair of candelabra by Benjamin Smith (Lyon and Turnbull, London, 23 November 2008, lot 158), another pair sold by Christie's New York, April 11th 1995, lot 234, eighteen dinner and eighteen soup plates (Christie's, New York, 19 October 1981, lots 110 and 111; also Christie's, London, 3 June 2015, lot 617), a pair of chamber candlesticks by Story and Elliott (Christie's, New York, 30 October 1991, lot 166), a tea urn (Christie's, New York, 17 October 2017, lot 104) trays and salvers (Bayreuth Collection, Christie's, London, 7 July 2023, lot 28 and 29).

The style of this centrepiece is inspired by the designs of Jean-Jacques Boileau (fl. 1787-1851), a number of which are held by the Victoria & Albert Museum, in particular those for a wine cooler with sphinx supports (Acc. No. 8390:15 and 8390:16), also employed by the silversmiths Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith in 1805-1806. Boileau assisted the architect Henry Holland with the decoration of Carlton House for the Prince of Wales, later King George IV, and is thought to have worked for Rundell and Bridge at the beginning of the nineteenth century.