Neoclassical Gilt Metal Candlesticks

Victorian

Circa mid to late 19th century | England or France

An antique nineteenth century pair of elegant neoclassical gilt metal candlesticks (see The Gen) with waisted hexagonal stems, floriform decorated sconces and drip pans, on a rounded foot decorated with rais-de-cœur and rope twist border.

DIMENSIONS: Height 25 cm.

CONDITION: In very good condition, wear consistent with an antique age and use. No evident restoration.

REFERENCES: For an example of a similar style of neoclassical silver candlesticks with fluted stem see Candlesticks, Geoffrey Wills, Crown Publishers, 1974, p. 76.

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THE GEN

“It has for long been debated whether neo-classicism originated in France or England. The sources of its neat swags of flowers, husks and leaves, paterae (round or oval ornamented discs), winged griffins and other motifs were ancient Greece and Rome. The motifs were now re-employed in a precise manner, in complete contrast to the disorder of rococo. Knowledge of the classical past had been accumulating during most of the eighteenth century, having received a notable stimulus when the ruins of the city of Herculaneum, near Naples, began to be excavated. Then in 1748 came the location of the site of Pompeii, overwhelmed with nearby Herculaneum when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, and the gradual publication of what was found there. By the early 1760s a few French designers had begun to anticipate public interest in the earlier civilisation, and some Paris notables were having their homes decorated in the new style. Very shortly afterwards it spread to England.

Neo-classicism, of course, affected the design of candlesticks, many being given the silhouette of elongated Greek vases or being formed as miniature columns, usually Corinthian, often more slender and somewhat taller than their predecessors. In England, there was ornamentation in the form of engraved husks and other motifs, but in France and Italy less restraint was shown.” (Candlesticks, Geoffrey Wills, Crown Publishers, 1974, pp 18–19)

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