A PAIR OF LATE LOUIS XV ORMOLU CANDLESTICKS

CIRCA 1770

Details

A PAIR OF LATE LOUIS XV ORMOLU CANDLESTICKS
CIRCA 1770
Each with garlanded urn nozzle, above an alternating foliate and truss support, above a spreading panelled base and breakfront plinth, engraved 'RAINCY'
11 in. (28 cm.) high

Provenance

Almost certainly Louis-Philippe d'Orléans (1725-1785), Château de Raincy.

Lot Essay

This elegant pair of candlesticks bears the rare inscription of the Château du Raincy. Built between 1643 and 1650 by the architect Louis le Vau, the Château du Raincy served as a prestigious pleasure house for Louis XIII’s Intendant des Finances, Jacques Bordier. As in other contemporary royal residences, André Le Nôtre oversaw the development of the gardens while Charles Le Brun, François Perrier, Charles-Alphonse Dufresnoy or Louis Testelin and Philippe de Buyster contributed to the decoration of its interior. A retreat for royal personalities such as Louis XIV and Louis XV, it became the property of the duc of Orléans, the future Louis-Philippe I, in 1769 in exchange for the sum of one million francs. The renovation of the interiors was entrusted to the l’architecte ordinaire of the prince, Henri Piètre. The contents, to which the present candlesticks belong, has partly survived and is notably represented in the collections of the Louvre Museum, which not only holds some preparatory sketches of the decorations of François Perrier, but also the celebrated 'Choiseul' bureau plat by Jacques Dubois (inv. OA6083), attesting to the exceptional interiors and character of the chateau, now sadly lost.
A set of six identical candlesticks of this model, bearing the same engraved inscription for Raincy, were in the celebrated collection of Hubert de Givency, sold Christie's, Paris, 14 June 2022, lot 214 (60,480 Euros).