A SET OF FOUR LOUIS XV ORMOLU CANDLESTICKS

Sebastien-Antoine Slodtz (1695-1754), the son of Sebastien Slodtz, was one of the originators of the Rococo style of ornamentation. From 1750 to 1754 he was Dessinateur de la Chambre et du Cabinet du Roi. Like his father he devoted much of his career to the Menus Plaisirs du Roi, producing numerous designs for furniture and fitments and above all for decorations for official celebrations and state funerals. The surviving drawings, which include one of a medallion of Louis XV (1738) and a design for a throne for the King (1740; both Paris, Bib. N.), demonstrate his great skill as a draughtsman. (op.cit.: F. Souchal, Les Slodtz: Sculpteurs et Decorateurs de Roi, Paris 1967)

An identical candlestick, with the design attributed to Slodtz, circa 1740, can be found in H. Ottomeyer & P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, München 1986, p. 104, no. 2.1.6. A pair of comparable candlesticks were sold at Christie's Monaco, 28-29 April 2000, lot 267 (FF 164,500).