A splendid and very RARE set of four candlesticks. Four is an excellent number for a dining table, especially a circular, oval or square one. Four candlesticks can surround a central feature such as a tureen (very Givenchy!), a floral extravaganza. or bronze sculpture etc. Each candlestick is 25 cm tall. They are polished and kiln lacquered so all they need is a regular swish with a duster: no polishing! As with all metal candlesticks, pour boiling water over them to remove wax drips, lightly wipe dry and the heat will finish the drying. Never use abrasives. In the 1980s Fred Schepisi inadvertently killed a rented pair of silver plated candelabra with a jex. Had he but known about the miracle of boiling water! Compare with https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/collection-rita-espirito-santo-three-private-european-collections/set-four-regence-style-ormolu-candlesticks-43/123641

The design of the candlesticks is from the Regence period, when Louis XV was an infant king, and a Regent ruled for him. In Art history, it spans a longer tinme: the first 30 or so years of the 18th century. The originasl came from about 1730 (page 110 Veronika Bauer), but these are probably c1870 (page 171Veronika Bauer, "Metal Candlesticks, history, Styles and Techniques." Schiffer, 1996). The English produced the identical model in the 1740s/1750s (p143, Gentle and Field, "Domestic Metalwork 1640 -1820", Antique Collectors Club 1994)