A PAIR OF EMPIRE ORMOLU AND PATINATED-BRONZE TWIN-LIGHT CANDELABRA

The Château de Saint Leu had a distinguished history of ownership, including the wealthy banker-collectors Jean-Joseph de Laborde and Nicolas Beaujon and the duc de Chartres, also known as Philippe Egalité, and the father of the future King Louis-Philippe. In 1804 it was acquired by Napoleon’s brother Louis Bonaparte and his wife Hortense de Beauharnais, who embarked on an extensive renovation of the château, including an Egyptian monument in the garden, which would have reflected the style of these candelabra. Other pieces with the Saint Leu inventory mark include a pair of candelabra sold at Osenat, Paris, 1 April 2012, lot 40 (marked ‘St. L. No. 7’) and a biscuit porcelain clock on the New York art market (marked ‘St. L. No. 5’).