An extremely rare and important pair of Ottoman silver candelabra made for Sultan Abdulhamid II's daughter 'Aysha, Turkey, dated 1330 AH/1911-12 AD

composed of silver, the curving palm-like necks supporting a single candle-socket flanked by five foliate branches with further ornate candle-sockets, rising from a naturalistic base with sculptural animal figures featuring a dog attacking a deer and a horse, with a grapevine border, above a waisted neck with engraved stylised Kufic designs on a diamond-band base, supported by six foliate feet, lot includes fourteen glass shades and red candles

Both in good condition, one with slight bend to one arm which was possibly once already restored (now weaker), as viewed.
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inscriptions
Both inscribed to the foot in Arabic: 'Aysha, 1330 AH [1911-12 AD]'

These magnificent candelabra were produced on royal commission for Sultan Abdulhamid’s daughter 'Aysha Sultan (Osmanoglu). They mark the occasion of her twenty-fifth birthday, and each is engraved in an elegant nasta’liq script with her name and the date 1330 AH (1911-12). They bear the tughra of her father Sultan Abdulhamid II (r.1876-1909), and every removable piece is stamped with the sahmark of the royal mint.

Both candelabra are decorated with a rare and unusual design consisting of a horse, deer and dog figurine captured in a natural setting. Such a choice of decoration can be related to Sultan Abdulhamid’s well-documented interest in nature and animals, in particular pigeons, peacocks and horses. The stylized Kufic inscriptions near the base of the candelabra can also be associated with Sultan Abdulhamid’s personal taste. The Kufic style of calligraphy became particularly fashionable during the Sultan’s reign and was viewed as an indicator of his pan-Islamist policy. Similar Kufic inscriptions were used in the ornamentation of mosques built during his reign, primarily in the Yildiz and the Zuhdi Pasha Mosques in Istanbul.

The decorative features found on the candelabra can be directly compared with the designs of the Yildiz Palace, which was the Sultan’s residence for more than thirty-three years. For example, the zig-zag patterned fences surrounding the figurines on the candelabra can be related to the zig-zag fences around the pools and flowerbeds in the Yildiz Palace. Furthermore, the finials of the candle-sockets were designed in a Neo-Gothic style that was characteristic in religious and civil architecture at the time. The Sultan, who was a carpenter himself, was often involved in the design and production of palace works, including furniture and fittings. In this respect, the impact of the Sultan’s personal taste on the present candelabra may even indicate his personal supervision in their design.

It is worth mentioning that the original fourteen Saint Louis shades have been preserved in excellent condition and twelve of these are signed. Saint Louis glass was treasured by the Ottoman ruling class and especially commissioned from France to be used in palaces, particularly in the Dolmabahçe and Yildiz.

A similar pair of candelabra that were produced under the reign of Abdulhamid II are preserved in the Dolmabahçe Palace, in the so-called “Tercuman Odasi” (Dolmabahçe Sarayi, TBMM, Ankara, 2005, p.70, fig. 1). In addition to their artistic and historical value, this pair is significant in terms of displaying and exemplifying the personal taste of their patron, Sultan Abdulhamid II.