A pair of mid-18th century Meissen porcelain candelabra, with probably German gilt-bronze mounts, circa 1760

 Sotheby's Paris, 24 March 2005, lot 49;

Galerie Perrin, Paris.

These models depict rural scenes, which were particularly popular in the mid-18th century. With a cherry tree in the centre, one depicts a child gardener showing a nest containing eggs to a little girl, while the other shows a little boy on a ladder giving eggs to a shepherdess.

They were made in porcelain at the Meissen factory around 1755, based on a model originally designed in 1748 by Joachim Kaendler. There are several variations, with different colours in the clothes. A similar candelabra is illustrated in O. Walcha, Meissner Porzellan, Dresden 1973, pl. 131, while a pair with a gilt-bronze base displaying the same stylistic harmony is reproduced in J. Bourne and V. Brett, L'Art du Luminaire, Paris, 1992. A candelabra was sold in Paris on 20 and 21 February 1967. These candelabras, unlike ours, have porcelain nozzles and basins, which the bronzier who mounted them on a magnificent base with softened Rococo motifs restored in gilt-bronze, preserving the original shape.

Cranfield University used non-invasive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for this lot to screen the green enamel for chromium, which was not detected, a result consistent with 18th century manufacture.