Pair of Louis XVI three-light candlesticks; France, ca. 1790

Pair of Louis XVI three-light candelabra; France, ca. 1790.
Mercury gilded bronze, black patinated and porphyry bases.
Measurements: 57.5 cm (height).

This imposing pair of candelabra is deeply reminiscent of the models of François Rémond (1747 - 1818), famed goldsmith and gilder who worked for Louis XVI and for the cabinetmaker Jean-Henri Riesener, providing him with gilded bronze applications.

Using a pair of muses or vestals as a shaft, the composition is ordered from the delicate sculptural work of these, as well as the chromatic play between the intense mercury gilding and the patina of the bronze. The arms of lights are born from the delicate hands of the sculptures, getting lost among the flowers that deceive the receiver to emerge the lighters where the candles are to be placed. The base, a cylinder of chiseled porphyry, is framed by a pearl counter and a laurel wreath at the ends, both classicist symbols.