A Pair of Early George III Carved Mahogany Torchères, Circa 1760

A. P. Good, Esq;

Moss Harris & Sons, London, 2 April 1954;

Christie's London, 24 November 2005, lot 90;

Where acquired by Aso O. Tavitian.

This pair of torchères, a seminal example of carved mahogany from the mid-18th century, was acquired under the guidance of the furniture historian R.W. Symonds in 1954 from the renowned London dealers Moss Harris. At that time, the torchères were the subject of a letter from Symonds to the then buyer which as reproduced in the Christie's sale of 2005 stated:

I have spoken again to Mr. Brown of Harris & Sons and, in order to meet you, he has very reluctantly agreed to reduce the price of the candle stands by another £25, making them £775. From my conversation with Mr. Brown I am quite certain that this is their lowest price. As I have told you I do not think they are expensive at £800, for a pair of exactly the same design was purchased by Samuel Messer for £750 and that was over two years ago. I am perfectly certain that if another pair turns up in the market they will easily find a buyer at an ever higher price, for there is no question whatsoever that trade in old English furniture is very good indeed at the present moment and nothing is so saleable as a pair of candlestands. You [...] should be pleased that values have risen so much for if you could buy a pair of candle stands for £400 your collection would not be worth what it is today.

For further information on this model of torchères please see the footnote to lot 1166.