Rare Pair of Louis XVI Candlesticks With Caryatids After a Model by Jean-Démosthène Dugourc
Pair of Louis XVI Candlesticks With Caryatids After a Model by Jean-Démosthène Dugourc
A very fine rare pair of gilt bronze Louis XVI candlesticks after a model by Jean-Démosthène Dugourc. The barrel is in the shape of three caryatids: women draped in the antique style. These caryatids support on their heads a thin platform, upon which there is a finely cast Medici vase-shaped candle holder. This vase is decorated with basketry and chiseled with wreaths of flowers and fruits. They rest on a round base decorated with acanthus leaves and a garland of ruby ivy, finished with three small feet.
With their triple female caryatid stem, these candlesticks bear similarity to a design attributed to Jean- Démosthène Dugourc (1749-1825) in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. This drawing was included in an album of designs for furniture subsequently delivered to both Madame Elizabeth and the comte de Provence. Also it caries the inscription “Dessiné par J. D. Dugourc, architecte et dessinateur Du Cabinet de Monsieur Frère Du Roi” (the brother of Louis XVI). The album depicts designs, several of which reflect the interest in the Arabesque and Etruscan styles that were fashionable during the early 1780s. Despite the differences between the various models, we can safely assume that the original design for this type of candlestick was by Jean Démosthène Dugourc. Dugourc was one of the most famous French draughtsmen working in ornamental design during the second half of the eighteenth century.
Details of this pair of Louis XVI candlesticks
Dimensions: 25 cm high, diameter 10 cm.
Weight: 2.5 kg (for the pair).
Literature
- H. Ottomeyer, P. Proschel et al., ” Vergoldete Bronzen – Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus“, Munich, 1986, Vol. I, p. 286 #4.15.5, illustrating a comparable pair of candlesticks dating from circa 1780, now in the Wallace Collection, London.
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