Beurdeley, Rare Pair Of Louis XVI Style Candlesticks Combining Gilt And Patinated Bronze & Griotte Marble

rare pair of Louis XVI style candlesticks combining gilt bronze and patinated bronze, and rouge griotte marble.

Each depicts a bacchic putto or child satyr in patinated bronze standing on a tambourine, holding on his head a basket of fruit hiding a candle holder. The circular foot in the shape of a rais-de-coeur and a frieze of pearls is surmounted by a griotte red marble base.

They bear the monogram ‘BY’ for Alfred-Emmanuel Beurdeley dit Alfred II (1847-1919) on the inside of the base. Alfred II was the last of a dynasty which ranked among the most important in the applied arts in Paris during the Belle Époque.
When Alfred-Emmanuel Beurdeley took over the prosperous family business in 1875, he boosted the success of the company, which was already internationally renowned for the perfection and quality of its gilded bronzes and decorative objects.
Alfred II created new designs inspired by and indebted to the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles, but which were completely conceived following his own vision of antique styles, not imitations. This combined with the use of advanced techniques, and often mercury gilding, ensured an end product of superior quality for its time.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs has a sketch of a similar pair of candlesticks.

Fine quality gilding and chasing in very good original condition.
Ca. 1880.