Antique Pair of Sèvres Porcelain Ormolu Candelabra, circa 1900

View Similar Items

Pair of French Ormolu and Porcelain Candelabra

Pair of French Ormolu and Jewelled Porcelain Candelabra

Pair of Antique Delicate Ormolu and Crystal Candelabra, circa 1890

19th Century Pair Of Capodimonte Porcelain & Ormolu Candelabra

Antique Pair French Ormolu Gilt Bronze Sevres Porcelain Candelabras Candlesticks

Pair of Five-Light Candelabra, circa 1900

Pair Antique French Ormolu & Patinated Bronze Candelabra, Circa 1885

Antique French Ormolu Bronze Candelabra with Jeweled Enamel Porcelain Circa 1870

Pair of French Ormolu Candelabra

19th Century Pair of Porcelain Birds in Ormolu Candelabra

French Mantel Clock and Candelabra of Gilt Bronze and Blue ‘Sèvres’ Porcelain

19th Century Bronze Ormolu / Porcelain Pair Candelabra

About the Item

This is a delightful antique pair of French Sèvres Porcelain mounted ormolu three-light candelabra, circa 1900 in date. The candlesticks feature shaped Sèvres Porcelain columns with hand-painted summer flowers on a bleu celeste ground, with ormolu scrolling foliate cast branches rising from twin handled urns. They Stand on beautiful rocaille cast bases and they have been later wired for electricity. There is no mistaking their unique quality and design, which is sure to be cherished by any admirer of ornamental porcelain. Provenance: Pen Moel near Chepstow. Condition: In excellent condition, with no signs of repair, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 66 x width 42 x depth 18. Dimensions in inches: Height 2 feet, 2 inches x width 1 foot, 4 inches x depth 7 inches. Penmoel (Penmoyle) is one of the larger houses in the parish of Tidenham, and was for most of the 19th century the home of the Philips sisters and later their niece, Margaret Philips Price and her sons. Isabella and Anna Priscilla Philips came to live at Penmoel in the 1840s. They originated from Manchester where their family were part of the Unitarian society, their father Robert was a textile merchant and manufacturer while their brothers Mark and Robert were Liberal Members of Parliament, the sisters were two of the nine daughters born to Robert and Anna Philips. The Philips family lived at Philips Park in what is now Bury and in 1948 was bought by Whitefield Council and opened as a public park. The M62 Motorway now cuts through part of the parkland. Ormolu (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'. The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object. No true ormolu was produced in France after around 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury. Therefore, other techniques were used instead but nothing surpasses the original mercury-firing ormolu method for sheer beauty and richness of colour. Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt (also known as vermeil). Sèvres Porcelain traces its roots in France to early craftsmen who had small manufacturing operations in such places as Lille, Rouen. St. Cloud, and most notably Chantilly. It is from Chantilly that a cadre of workers migrated to the Chateau de Vincennes near Paris to form a larger porcelain manufactory in 1738. French King Louis XV, perhaps inspired by his rumoured relationship with mistress Madame de Pompadour, took an intense interest in porcelain and moved the operation in 1756 to even larger quarters in the Paris suburb of Sevres. Sevres was also conveniently near the home of Madame de Pompadour and the King's own Palace at Versailles. From the outset the king's clear aim was to produce Sevres Porcelain that surpassed the established Saxony works of Meissen and Dresden. Though the French lacked an ample supply of kaolin, a required ingredient for hard-paste porcelain (pate dure), their soft-paste porcelain (pate tendre) was fired at a lower temperature and was thus compatible with a wider variety of colours and glazes that in many cases were also richer and more vivid. Unglazed white Sevres Porcelain "biscuit" figurines were also a great success. However, soft-paste Sèvres Porcelain was more easily broken. Therefore, early pieces of Sèvres Porcelain that remain intact have become rare indeed. The Sèvres Porcelain manufactory always seemed to be in dire financial straits despite the incredibly fine works it produced. In fact, the king's insistence that only the finest items be created may have contributed to the difficulties. Only a limited number of European nobility could afford the extravagant prices demanded for such works. King Louis XV and eventually his heir, the ill-fated Louis XVI, were obliged to invest heavily in the enterprise. Ultimately, the Sevres Porcelain Factory produced items under the name of "Royal" and thus the well-known Sèvres mark was born. King Louis XV even mandated laws that severely restricted other porcelain production in France so as to retain a near monopoly for his Sèvres Porcelain. The king even willingly became chief salesman for the finest of his products, hosting an annual New Year's Day showing for French nobility in his private quarters at Versailles. He eagerly circulated among potential buyers, pitching the merits of ownership and policing the occasional light-fingered guest. Sèvres Porcelain may have indeed given the makers of Meissen and Dresden a run for their money by the end of the 18th century but for the French Revolution. By 1800, the Sèvres Porcelain Works were practically out of business due to the economic devastation of the new French Republic. About the time when Napoleon Bonaparte named himself Emperor of France (1804), a new director was named for the Sevres Porcelain Manufactory. Alexandre Brongniart, highly educated in many fields, resurrected Sevres Porcelain. Soft-paste porcelain was eliminated altogether thanks to the earlier discovery of kaolin near Limoges. For four decades until his death, Brongniart presided over monumental progress for Sevres Porcelain, catering not only to Napoleon himself, but at last to include the more financially profitable mid-priced market in the emerging middle class.

Dimensions:
Height: 25.99 in (66 cm)Width: 16.54 in (42 cm)Depth: 7.09 in (18 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Materials and Techniques:
Ormolu,Porcelain
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1900-1909
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1900
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 074211stDibs: LU95065284933

Located in Dublin, IE

A fine pair of 19th century Neo-classical Style porcelain and ormolu candelabra by Capodimonte. Circa 1860 Origin: Italy Capodimonte porcelain is porcelain created by the Capodimo...

Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Neoclassical Revival Candelabras

Materials

Porcelain

19th Century Pair Of Capodimonte Porcelain & Ormolu Candelabra

$8,971 / set

Antique Pair French Ormolu Gilt Bronze Sevres Porcelain Candelabras Candlesticks

By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres

Located in Dublin, Ireland

A Fine Stylish and Imposing Pair of French Three Light Table or Mantle Sevres Porcelain Ormolu Mounted Candelabra of outstanding quality. Mid to late Nineteenth Century. Each with ...

Category

Antique 19th Century French Late Victorian Candelabras

Materials

Ormolu

Antique Pair French Ormolu Gilt Bronze Sevres Porcelain Candelabras Candlesticks

$1,823 / set

Pair of Five-Light Candelabra, circa 1900

By Maison Forest

Located in Atlanta, GA

A superb pair of five-light gilt and patinated bronze electrified candelabra featuring cherubs supporting a naturalistic branch type candelabra signed "Fo...

Category

Early 20th Century French Candle Holders

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Five-Light Candelabra, circa 1900

$85,000 / set