Offered by Franck Baptiste Paris
An exceptionally rare pair of large solid silver candelabra featuring asymmetrical *rocaille* (rococo) ornamentation.
The candlesticks rest on shaped, contoured bases featuring molded rims and decorated with shells, leafy clasps, scrolling foliage, and *rocaille* cartouches centered with rosettes. The baluster-shaped stem, articulated by molded projections, is richly chased with acanthus leaves, floral swags, fluting, and *rocaille* motifs; it terminates in a nozzle decorated with foliage.
The detachable light clusters—forming three-light candelabra—consist of sinuous arms executed with great dynamism in a "whiplash" style and vigorously modeled with acanthus leaves. They support leafy drip pans and nozzles shaped like blossoming flower buds.
Stamped on the underside of each base are three hallmarks: the maker's mark of Louis-Joseph Lenhendrick (initials "L. L." separated by a column, beneath a crowned fleur-de-lis and between two assay pellets); the Paris guild mark (crowned date letter "Z" for 1763); and the Paris *charge* mark (a small laurel wreath), in use between 1762 and 1768.
Stamped on the underside of each drip pan are three deeply struck hallmarks, though the outlines have become somewhat blurred and difficult to read: the maker's mark of Louis-Joseph Lenhendrick (initials "L. L." separated by a column); the Paris guild mark (crowned date letter "K" for 1773–1774); and a third, indistinct mark—likely the Paris *charge* mark from 1774.
In excellent condition. Parisian work, Louis XV period.
Weight:
Pair of candlesticks: 3,567 g. Pair of detachable light clusters: 2,737 g. Total gross weight of the set: 6,304 g.
Dimensions:
Candlesticks alone: ??height 36.8 cm; base diameter 16.5 cm. Detachable light clusters: height 14.6 cm; span 44.5 cm. Total height with light clusters: 44.5 cm.
Provenance:
Formerly in the collection of Joseph Sampson Stevens (1865–1935), son of Adele Livingston de Talleyrand-Périgord (who became Marquise de Talleyrand and Duchess of Dino through her marriage to Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord).
Literature:
The drawing for this candlestick—formerly in the Beurdeley collection—is now held at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. It is reproduced and discussed in Carole Blumenfeld’s book *François-Thomas Germain, orfèvre des rois* (p. 154), within a major article dedicated to this series of candlesticks.
Identical or directly corresponding examples in museums:
• - Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. A silver pair by Louis-Joseph Lenhendrick, attributed to the design of François-Thomas Germain, mid-18th century. Height: 27.3 cm. Inventory numbers 57.1696 and 57.1697. • - Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris: A pair of the same model executed by François-Thomas Germain, Paris, 1754–1755, inventory no. 26883 B.?- Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon: A pair in the larger size, dated 1756–1757, bearing the hallmarks of Lenhendrick and François-Thomas Germain.
• The museum also holds related candlesticks of the same model, executed around 1757–1758 by Guillaume Jacob.
- Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg: The museum holds not necessarily a pair of candlesticks, but—most importantly—the reference drawing corresponding to the model.
Our assessment:
Pairs of *rocaille*-style silver candelabra from the reign of Louis XV that have survived intact are extremely rare today. This rarity is largely due to the successive melting down of French silverware and the various sumptuary edicts that, during the 18th century, led to the disappearance of a significant portion of fine French silverwork.
The model of these candlesticks ranks among the most celebrated and accomplished creations of Parisian *rocaille* silverwork. Long attributed to François-Thomas Germain—under whom Louis-Joseph Lenhendrick had apprenticed starting in 1738—this design was indeed executed by the Germain family themselves. However, research has conclusively established Louis-Joseph Lenhendrick as the creator of the model. A particularly revealing document appears in the 1765 inventory of François-Thomas Germain’s workshop, where the model is explicitly designated as the "Lenhendrick candlestick," thereby confirming the composition's origin.
This model enjoyed immense success. Produced in various sizes, it was executed by Lenhendrick over a period of more than two decades, starting with the earliest known examples from 1747–1748. François-Thomas Germain himself adopted the design, notably for pieces now held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Museu Nacional de A...
