Bronze and lacquer screen candlestick, Paris, circa 1765

Rare red lacquer screen candlestick with a neoclassical mount in finely chased and mercury-gilded bronze.

The vermilion red Chinese lacquer bowl is encircled by a bronze frieze. Its base is delicately decorated with small mounds and traditional pagoda-roofed houses, all dusted with gold powder. A bronze candle holder is positioned in the center of the bowl.
On the side, the hanging system is delicately framed with laurel leaf garlands that cascade from each side of the suspension and rest on the lacquer bowl.
A small circular mound holds a conical snuffer, imitating an antique censer.

Excellent condition; original mercury gilding.

Parisian work from the Louis XV period, circa 1765-1770, after a probable design by the ornamentalist Jean Charles Delafosse (1734-1789).

Provenance:

Rothschild family collection at the Hôtel de la Princesse Mathilde.

Bibliography:

Published on page 256 of the book "Les plus belles demeures de Paris" (The Most Beautiful Residences of Paris) by Hachette.

Our opinion:

Called a bed or screen candlestick in 18th-century inventories, this type of light fixture allowed people to wash and dress by candlelight. The candle could be suspended from a chair rail, a screen, or simply from the edge of a mirror or bed.

These pieces, crafted from rare and precious materials such as oriental lacquer or porcelain, were assembled by Parisian mercers and reserved for an elite of the nobility.

Unlike other guilds, the mercers were "sellers of everything, makers of nothing," as Diderot so aptly explains in his encyclopedia.

They produced nothing but assembled various goods, some of which were imported from distant Asian lands like China or Japan.

Their contribution to the decorative arts under the Ancien Régime was very significant, as they set the trends by offering original creations.

Among the five or six major mercers of Paris, the king's jeweler, Lazare Duvaux, specialized in this type of object, which combined oriental lacquer (of which he was one of the largest suppliers) with gilt-bronze mounts, sometimes adorned with porcelain flowers. His journal mentions this type of piece, which he delivered in August 1749 to the Paris tax collector, Mr. Boulogne de Préninville, under number 308: "A bed candlestick with a lacquered base, trimmed in gilt bronze with ground gold, with a snuffer," or in December 1753 to Madame de la Bauve under number 1659: "A bed candlestick, lacquered base, the trim gilt with ground gold, decorated with flowers." The Marquise de Pompadour, one of Duvaux's most loyal clients, also owned an example, which is described in her post-mortem inventory in 1764:
under number 1362: "a bed candlestick, lacquered and trimmed in gilt bronze with ground gold, valued at 15 livres." The journal informs us that during the decade 1748-1758, Lazare Duvaux delivered only a handful of Screen candlesticks, always reserved for very important figures.

This type of candlestick was rare from the 18th century onwards, and very few have survived, especially in red lacquer and in good condition.
Our model perfectly represents the "Pompadour style," which marked the pinnacle of decorative arts during the reign of Louis XV. However, it already displays the first neoclassical influences arriving in France with commissions from the Marquise's brother, the Marquis de Marigny, who was then head of the King's Buildings Department.

The finesse of the mount, the rarity of the materials, and the purity of the design make this candlestick a prominent decorative piece. But more than just an object, our candlestick illustrates the French art of living, with the early beginnings of fashion and luxury that would contribute to France's international renown.