A pair of French gilt and patinated bronze candelabra, attributed to François Rémond (1747, d. 1812) after the drawings by architect François-Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818), classical vestal figures standing on contrasting white plinths decorated with drapings and gryphons at the base, each figure holds a torch which issues four candle branches. Late 18th century. H. 75 cm. (2)
The design for the candelabra in the Pavlovsk collection and the offered lot has been attributed to François Joseph Belanger (1744–1808). The classical figures are very comparable to those illustrated in: Hans Ottomeyer / Peter Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Klinkhardt & Biermen, München, 1997, pp. 220 and 221, illustrated fig. 2. The candelabra can be compared to a set of four currently displayed in the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna's chamber in the palace at Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg, Catherine II commissioned Pavlovsk Palace in 1779 for her son Paul, at the time when Neo-classicism was the dominant style in the decorative arts. Inspired by the excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum they purchased French objets d'art for their new palace. Literature: Pavlovsk Palace & Park, Aurora Art Publishers, Leningrad, 1975, p. 266.
Condition report available on request.