A PAIR OF NORTH ITALIAN PATINATED-BRONZE EIGHTEEN-LIGHT CANDELABRA

An almost identical candelabrum was exhibited at the 1867 Paris Expostion Universelle. The design is reproduced in the Art Journal catalogue of the exhibition and referred to as a 'bronze chandelier, a work of true Art, [which] is the production of Joseph Michieli, a distinguished artist-manufacturer of Venice'. The finial on the illustrated candelabrum differs slightly from the present lot in that it lacks the inscribed shield.
The coat-of-arms heading both present candelabra are those of Michiele, an old Venetian noble family, of which three members became Doges: Vitale I, Domenico and Vitale II, two became bishops and several Pocuratore di San Marco, judges of the the Venetian High Court.